Eternal Twilight
by Filing Sloth
Summary: With a band of loyal friends, Lina Inverse wages a desperate battle to save Sairaag, a dark city with even darker shadows. AU
1. Ripples in the night

Lina opened her eyes and realized that her head was on the table.  She had been sleeping again.  Sis wouldn't be happy if she found out that the chores weren't done.  Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she glanced around the modest apartment she had shared with Luna ever since their parents had died.

Actually calling the single room an apartment was an insult to apartments.  A single lantern hanging over a small table was the only illumination for the room. Against one wall two tattered bedrolls were laid out on the floor.  Against another wall a worn bookshelf struggled to hold up the few books that the Inverses owned.  Luna had always insisted that Lina have an education.  On the opposite wall was a small, dirty window that revealed the shadowy streets of Sairaag.  A small fireplace shared the fourth wall with the battered door leading to the hallway.

Lina sighed as she surveyed her surroundings.  Being a waitress barely paid the bills and she knew that despite Luna's insistences to the contrary, she was a burden upon her older sister.  She'd make it up to Sis someday though.  Nodding, she quickly snatched up a ragged broom from the corner and began to sweep the floor.  She could at least keep their room looking nice, well, when she didn't get sidetracked that was.

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open and Luna rushed in with a panicked expression on her face.  She glanced at Lina as if just realizing that she was there.  "Oh no."

Lina looked nervously at the expression on her sister's face.  "I'm sorry Sis.  I fell asleep and I forgot…"

Luna rushed over to Lina and snatched the broom out of her hand.  She grabbed Lina by the shoulders and shook her hard.  "Listen to me!"

Lina started crying.  "I'm sorry!  I'll clean up right now, okay?"  Her sister wasn't cruel, but she was strict and Lina wasn't looking forward to another lecture.  

Luna shook her head impatiently.  "Never mind that, Lina!  Listen, we have to leave Sairaag right now!"  She glanced around the apartment nervously and muttered, "We'll have to travel light…"

Lina was trembling now.  She blinked through her tears.  Something had terrified Luna and that meant that it had to be bad.  Luna wasn't supposed to be scared of anything.  "Sis, are you okay?  Why are we leaving?  You're scaring me…"

A soft voice purred at the sisters from the shadows of the doorway.  "I'm afraid that you're not going anywhere.  Really Inverse, did you honestly think that I would let you go after what you did?"

Luna released her sister and whirled around in an instant.  She snatched the lantern from the ceiling and flung it at the shape in the doorway.  It shattered on impact, dousing the figure in liquid flame.  She spared a quick glance at Lina.  "Out the window.  Run away and don't look back!"  She snatched the broom off the floor and snapped it in two.  She pointed the jagged end of the handle at the flaming figure.

Lina didn't need to be told twice.  She darted up to the window and pried it open.  She didn't obey all of Luna's instructions though.  She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see the blazing form snatch the improvised stake from her sister's hand and wrap her in a bear hug.  Lina heard a strange popping noise.  A second later, she realized what it was.  Luna's bones were breaking.  She called out.  "Sis!"

Luna screamed in terror and agony.  "Lina, run!"

The figure grinned at Lina for an instant, revealing its razor sharp teeth.  It hissed, "That's right Lina.  Run."  It then leaned forward, ripping Luna's throat out with its fangs, silencing her forever.  The only sounds were the crackling of the flames that had begun to consume the room and the horrible slurping sound that the form made as it drained Luna's blood from her twitching corpse.

"No!"  Lina sat up in her bedroll, reaching out to the sister that had been dead for four years.  She blinked and looked around the room.  It was just a faceless room in a shoddy inn, not the home she had shared with Luna for so long.  She sighed shakily.  It was a dream.  The same dream she had been having for years.

Lina buried her face in her hands quietly wept.  This nightmare had been especially bad.  She could feel the heat from the flaming figure and she heard Luna's bones snap.  It was far more vivid than usual.  She muttered, "I guess coming home will do that, huh?"  

Lina looked out the window at the hauntingly familiar skyline of Sairaag.  About a block away she saw the church that she and Luna had attended in her youth.  Luna had been a devout follower of Ceiphied, Lina remembered.  A little farther down the street was the burned out husk of the building they used to live in.  She frowned.  "You'd think they would have fixed it up or something."  And of course there was the capital building.  A black tower in the center of town that stretched hundreds of feet into the sky.  That was where the priests of Rezo the White governed the city.  

Something else caught the young lady's eye.  The sun was rapidly setting, casting a shadow over the city.  Soon the street lamps would be lit, but for the moment, the city was shrouded in the gloom of twilight.

Lina suppressed a shudder and muttered, "Time to go to work."  Her job was never easy and tonight would undoubtedly be no exception.  She removed her bedclothes, wincing in pain as she did so.  Naked, she looked into a small mirror on the wall, admiring and hating her body all at once.  

Lina's face was pleasant enough.  She had pretty red eyes and a somewhat small nose that her sister had always teased her about.  People had told her that she had a beautiful smile.  She didn't know about that.  She had never felt like smiling when she looked at her reflection.  She had red hair that hung halfway down her back and couldn't be tamed by any amount of brushing.  All in all, she was a beautiful young lady.

Lina's eyes moved down her reflection to her neck.  There was the silver medallion of Ceiphied that Luna had given her five years ago.  The medallion was in the shape of a roaring dragon.  She never took it off.  

Lina's eyes moved further down her form.  She had a petite body that she was both ashamed and proud of at the same time.  Her left shoulder was a ruin of scar tissue from an old burn.  She had gotten that from a fiery specter she had dispatched three years ago.  She ran her fingers across her abdomen tracing the jagged scars she had gotten from her fight with a werewolf a year ago.  More scars crisscrossed her body in every conceivable place.  Her eyes settled on her breasts and her face turned red with a mixture of shame and rage.  More scars.  These were from a vampire's fangs.  He had gotten a little too close for comfort.  If he had been feeling a little more lethal and less amorous, Lina probably wouldn't be standing in that room.

Lina shook her head trying to ignore the memories.  No eighteen-year-old girl should have to see the things she had seen.  She looked down and saw that her hands were trembling.  She chuckled dryly.  "Well, I know how to fix that."  She turned and rummaged around in her bag tossing aside a dark cloak and her traveling clothes.  She muttered irritably, "Where is it?  I know I'm not out…"  She grinned as she found what she was looking for.  Eagerly, she snatched the top off the flask and drained it.  Her hands stopped shaking almost instantly.  Now it was time for work.

Lina dressed, being careful to conceal her scars, while going over the particulars of her current target.  Lupin van Wolfenstein. He was a minor noble from Elmikia and a werewolf by her reckoning.  She had been tracking him for weeks now.  She picked up his trail when he struck in Zelfielia, eviscerating a mother and her six-year-old daughter.  He had kept a low profile since then, traveling from town to town.  She had followed him all the way to Sairaag.  Tonight was a full moon and a perfect opportunity to catch him in the act.  And then…

Lina grinned wolfishly as she sheathed her silver edged sword.  Silver was a pain to keep sharp, but it was well worth the effort on nights like tonight.  She checked her gear one last time.  Her silver sword was honed to razor sharpness.  Silver dust kept in a pouch on her belt.  This was an experiment she was trying out for the first time.  If it worked as she planned, Lupin would get a lungful and die a slow agonizing death drowning in his own blood.  Finally she touched the medallion around her neck and smiled sadly.  "Wish me luck, Sis."  Satisfied that she was as prepared as possible, she left the room.

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It was dark and Gourry was getting pretty tired.  He looked around, struggling to keep his eyes open.  He knew that he'd catch hell from the captain if he got caught sleeping again, but it was incredibly hot and muggy outside the theater.  He struggled to remember why he was standing out here anyway.  Something about an attack?  Or something…  Zangulus would know.  "Hey, Zangulus.  What are we doing out here again?"

Zangulus looked over at Gourry with an expression of incredulity on his face.  "You're kidding, right?  Please tell me you're joking."  

Gourry's blank stare was answer enough.

Zangulus sighed and clutched his head in frustration.  He nodded to Gourry.  "You see that uniform you're wearing?  You, Gourry, are a member of the Sairaag City Guard.  And you're here because there have been a series of disappearances in the area.  You're supposed to watch for anything suspicious."

Gourry thought for a moment.  He grinned.  "That sounds about right.  So why are you here Zangulus?"

Zangulus stared at him for a moment, before muttering, "Because the captain hates me."  He leaned against the wall and watched the people coming and going for a moment.  Nothing.  It had been quiet for the entire shift.  Usually you could at least count on bar brawl, but the theater troupe had been performing some highbrow drama or something.  Those theatergoers didn't tend to get into bar fights.  Trying to pass the time, he turned to Gourry again.  "So, how'd you get into the SCG anyway?  Apparently not for your brains."

Gourry shrugged.  "They thought I was pretty good with a sword, I guess."

"Oh really?"  Now Zangulus was interested.  "Who was your teacher?"

Gourry scratched his head.  "Um, Radimouse?  No that's not it…"  He smiled.  "It was Rodimus!"  He looked at Zangulus with a serious expression on his face.  "You know, he was pretty good."

"Pretty good?!  Gourry are you telling me that you studied swordplay under the famous Rodimus?  Possibly the greatest swordsman of our time?"

"Well, yeah I guess I am.  I didn't study under him though.  Usually, we would stand face to face when we practiced."

A moment of silence passed before Zangulus spoke again.  "What?  Never mind, Gourry.  How about a match sometime?"

Gourry grinned and was about to answer when something caught his eye.  "Zangulus, would you say that was suspicious looking?"  He nodded at a redheaded woman with a sword who was stalking a man.

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Lina advanced on Lupin outside of the theater, her silver blade pointed directly at his heart.  She had pounced when he dragged a woman down a dark alley.  It was all the proof she needed that he was a monster.  She spared a cold glance at the young girl who was almost a victim.  "Go on, get out of here!"  

The woman scrambled to her feet and ran past Lupin into the crowded street.

"And now that that's taken care of…"  Lina looked Lupin over as she advanced on him threateningly.  "You sir, are the ugliest beast I have ever had the misfortune of laying eyes on."

Lupin snarled at Lina and took a step towards her.  He was wearing a tattered suit that was covered with dust.  His hideous face was covered with hair along with the rest of his body if the rips in the suit were any indication.  He was truly a savage looking creature in Lina's opinion.

Lina flashed a cocky grin.  "Well wolfy, let's rumble!"  She hoped that she sounded more confident than she felt.  She was always terrified when she had to do this.  She took a step towards him and twirled her sword.

Lupin fury faded and he looked at her curiously.  "Wolfy?"  He grinned revealing the pronounced fangs of a vampire.  His laughter sent shivers down Lina's spine.  "Young lady, you think I'm a werewolf?"

Lina shrugged, lowering her sword a bit.  "Well, I thought you were."  Usually werewolves were more inclined to rend and tear than make conversation.  Apparently she had guessed wrong.  She grinned.  "My mistake, huh?  How about vampy?  Does that work for you?"

"What was it?  It was the hair right?"  Lupin touched his head.  "Or was it the body hair?"  He sighed.  "I can't help how I look you know."

Lina chuckled nervously.  "Yeah, that was part of it.  And your name, too.  I mean, Lupin van Wolfenstein?  It practically screams werewolf, you know?"  She backed away slowly.  "Listen, I'll level with you.  I only brought silver tonight, so I'm woefully under equipped to deal with a vampire.  So what do you say?  Let's call this one a draw and I'll kill you some other night, okay?  You can tell all your blood sucking buddies that you survived an encounter with the infamous Slayer Lina Inverse."

Lupin pretended to consider for a moment before he grinned wickedly.  "I think not.  I'd rather tell everyone that I killed the blundering Slayer Lina Inverse."

Lina sighed.  "I was afraid you were going to say that."  She sheathed her sword and spread her arms.  "Well, come on."  She waved Lupin over.  "Let's get this over with."  

An instant later, Lupin had slammed Lina up against the wall and his hot, putrid breath was on her throat.  He hissed into her ear, "Giving up, Inverse?  Struggle a little, won't you?  It makes it more fun."  

"Yeah, well sorry to disappoint you, but I'm kind of tired tonight."  Lina struggled to shake off the disorientation.  Lupin had slammed her head against the brick wall pretty hard and she was seeing stars.  She fumbled for her medallion, grabbed it, and lost it again when he shook her violently.  

"I really expected better from you, Inverse.  I thought you were supposed to be good."  Lupin ran his tongue over Lina's throat appreciatively, causing her to shudder.  He reared back exposing his fangs and was about to tear into her neck when…

Lina snarled and shoved her medallion into Lupin's eye, fangs first.  At the same time, she kneed him in the groin and shoved him away from her.  Briefly, she wondered if vampires cared about getting hit in the groin, but she quickly dismissed the thought.  It couldn't hurt, right?

Lupin shrieked and clutched his wounded eye.  "You little bitch!"  Where he touched the medallion, his hands were smoking.  A large amount of putrid smoke was also pouring out of his injured eye socket.

Lina quickly glanced around the alley.  She moaned, "Come on!  There has to be something!"  Tearing through a pile of discarded trash, her face brightened.  She'd found a discarded piece of wooden fence.  It wouldn't have been her first choice, but…

Lupin grabbed Lina by the hair and flung her facedown to the alley floor.  He pounced on her, driving his knees into her lower back. 

Lina gasped as she felt the air driven forcefully from her lungs.  Blackness crept into the edge of her vision.  She muttered, "Don't pass out, Lina."  She strained to reach her makeshift stake that had flown just out of her grasp.  Her fingers brushed against it knocking it totally out of her reach.  She looked over her shoulder at Lupin and forced a very painful smile.  "Ready to give up?"

Apparently, the vampire didn't feel like playing anymore.  He snarled, baring his fangs, and leaned down to rip Lina's throat open.  
Gourry grabbed Lupin by the hair and tore him away from Lina.  He flung the vampire across the narrow alley.  He looked down at the young lady.  "Are you all right, Miss?"

Lina moaned in pain as she scrambled over to her stake.  She struggled to a sitting position and turned around to see Zangulus roughly pulling Lupin to his feet.  "What the hell are you doing?!  Don't touch him!"

Zangulus blinked at Lina in surprise.  "I'm sorry?"  A second later he was flying through the air before landing gracelessly and unconscious in a pile of rotten fruit.  

Lupin charged Lina again, but before he took two steps his head had been neatly separated from his shoulders by Gourry's sword.  It landed a few feet away and glared at Gourry evilly.

Gourry smirked as he flicked the black blood off his blade and sheathed it.  He extended his hand to Lina who was still sitting on the ground.  "Here, let me help you.  My name is Gourry Gabri… what the hell?!"

Lupin's headless body wrapped its arms around Gourry and squeezed.  If he hadn't been wearing armor he would have suffered several broken bones.

Lupin's head was yelling words of encouragement to his body.  "Break him in two!  No, don't let him get away!"  His eyes widened in shock.  "Look out behind you!"  Apparently the futility of telling a headless corpse to look over its shoulder was lost on Lupin.  

Lina rammed her makeshift stake through Lupin's heart.  The body went rigid for a moment before collapsing in a heap.  She snarled at Gourry, "That was pretty damn stupid, you know!  He could have killed you and your brainless friend over there!"  She was trembling in anger and fear.  "What were you thinking?!"  Not waiting for an answer, she walked over to Lupin's head and tore her medallion free of his eye socket.  She glared at Gourry again as she cleaned it on the edge of her cloak.

Gourry looked at Lina, then at Lupin's still form.  He grinned sheepishly.  "That's a new one.  Usually people fall down when they lose their heads."

Lina rummaged through Lupin's pockets.  Seeing that he had been carrying no money, she sighed.  "You have no idea of what that was, do you?  A vampire!  You're lucky to be alive."

Gourry nodded as he pulled Zangulus from the pile of garbage.  "I guess so.  Good thing you were here, huh?"  He grinned at Lina.  "Hey, my shift should be just about over.  How about I buy you some dinner?  You know to say thanks for saving me and all that."

Lina was about to say something derogatory when her stomach growled.  How long had it been since she had a decent meal?  "Okay.  Your name's Gourry right?"  She looked him over.  He looked safe enough, and besides that, he was kind of handsome.

Gourry smiled as he slung Zangulus's arm over his shoulder.  "That's right.  What's your name little girl?"

Lina blinked in surprise.  Little girl?  "It's Lina.  Lina Inverse."  She seethed.  Little girl?!  The nerve of this guy!

Gourry nodded, oblivious to Lina's growing anger.  "Let's take him home and then we'll eat."  His smile faded.  "Um, I think it was this way?"

Lina watched him wander off in a random direction.  She had half a mind not to follow him.  She muttered, "Little girl, my ass."  She shrugged.  "But, food is food, right?"  Her decision made, she limped after him.

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Gourry watched Lina with a mixture of awe and concern.  "Lina, I know I said that I'd buy you dinner, but don't you think you've had enough?"

Lina set her cup down and called out to a passing waiter.  "Hey!  Yeah you!"  She pointed to her empty glass.  "More of the same!"  With that being taken care of she turned to Gourry and frowned.  "I'm sorry.  You did say that I could have whatever I wanted off the menu, right?"  

Gourry shook his head.  "Yeah, but…"

Lina smiled at him sweetly and turned and snatched a menu from a passing waiter.  "See?"  She held it up for Gourry's inspection.  "The wine list is part of the menu, right?"  

"Well, I guess so, but…"

The waiter set a fresh glass of liquor in front of Lina.  "Here we go."  She choked as she tried to drain the cup in a single gulp.   She coughed a bit and waved Gourry away when he stood.  "Leave me alone."  
Gourry sat back down with a frown on his face.  "Why would you do something like that to yourself?"

Lina blinked a few times, trying to focus on the man sitting across the table from her.  "You want know why?"  She sighed.  "Nerves.  See?"  She held up a trembling hand.  "I can't stop it."

Gourry took Lina's hand eliciting a surprised gasp from the girl.  He squeezed it reassuringly as he spoke, "Hey, it's alright."

Lina snatched her hand away from Gourry.  She snarled at him.  "Don't touch me."  Her expression softened a bit and she sighed.  "I'm sorry, Gourry.  Most of the things that get close to me are trying to eat me, so…"  She shrugged.  "…keep your distance, okay?"

Gourry nodded.  "I understand, I guess.  You mind if I ask you a question?"

Lina nodded.  "Alright."

"What do you do?"  Gourry looked Lina over.  She was wearing a dark outfit that was almost worn through in several places.  Across the chest it was shoddily stitched up where it had been ripped several times.  Over this she was wearing a gray cloak that had drying blood splattered on it.

Lina crossed her arms defensively.  "See anything interesting?

Gourry nodded.  "Well, now that you mention it…"

Lina waved him off.  "Never mind.  I'm a Slayer, Gourry."  She snapped her fingers at a passing waiter and pointed at her glass.

Gourry nodded knowingly.  "I see…"  He thought for a moment.  "What's a Slayer, Lina?"

Lina had been a little tipsy earlier, but now she looked totally focused.  "A Slayer is a warrior that hunts the supernatural.  Vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and so on.  You name it, I kill it."

"Hmm, so you're like a pest exterminator, right?"

Lina almost choked on her new drink.  "Excuse me?!"  She scratched her head.  "Well, now that you mention it, I guess it is kinda like that.  It's the same principle.  I kill the things that other people don't want to deal with."

Gourry nodded happily.  "That's great!  Listen, I've got this terrible rodent problem in my house.  Do you think you could…"

An icy stare from Lina cut him off.  "Don't interrupt.  Now, I'm not an official Slayer. The Slayers were organized by Rezo the White, the greatest priest of this age.  About twenty years ago, vampires and other undesirables were overrunning Sairaag.  This period of time was known as the Eternal Twilight within the church."

A stranger clad in a white cloak quickly glanced up as if he had been able to hear Lina from across the crowded tavern.  He muttered, "The Eternal Twilight?"  Given the fact that they were twenty feet away in a crowded room, Lina and Gourry didn't notice his sudden interest.

Gourry scratched his head.  "But I don't remember any of that…"

"I doubt you would, considering that you can't even remember that I asked you not to interrupt me thirty seconds ago!"  Lina snorted.  "Besides, the public was unaware of the Eternal Twilight for the most part.  After all, everyone knows that vampires and things like that are just a myth, right?"

"But, you said that Lupin guy was a vampire.  And now you're saying that they're not real?  This is pretty confusing…"

Lina leaned across the table and grabbed the front of Gourry's shirt.  "Stop talking!  You're giving me a headache!"  She released him and sighed.  "As I was saying, the church encourages the idea that vampires are a myth.  After all, most people…"  She gave Gourry a puzzled look, "…would be upset to find out what walks the streets with them."  She sipped her drink before continuing.  "The Eternal Twilight officially ended five years ago, mostly due to the vigilance of the Slayers.  However, as you saw, there are still vampires in this world.  I've spent the last couple of years hunting them down."

Gourry cautiously raised his hand.

Lina nodded warily at Gourry.  "Yes, the dense man in the front?"

"Well, the Slayers were a supposed to be a secret organization and I guess the Eternal Twilight thing was supposed to be a big secret too, right?"  

"That's right."

"Well, then how do you know about all this stuff?"

Lina jumped as if she had been struck.   She knocked a glass to the floor where it shattered.

Gourry looked at the glass then at Lina nervously.  "Um, did I say something wrong?"

Lina massaged her temples and sighed.  "No Gourry, but I don't want to talk about it.  Well…"  She stood shakily and placed a hand on the table to steady herself.  "…thanks for dinner and everything.  It was nice meeting you.  Stay out of dark alleys."

Gourry watched Lina sway back and forth warily.  "Where are you going?"

Lina grinned.  "To work.  The night is still young, and evil never sleeps."  If she had intended this as a cool exit line, it failed as she promptly vomited on herself and collapsed in a heap on the floor.  A moment later, she was snoring loudly.

Gourry sighed and knelt beside her.  "Lina, get up.  Everyone's staring."  He glanced around at the people at the surrounding tables.  A lot of them were unsavory looking types that were eyeing Lina predatorily.  He couldn't leave her here.  After all, who knew what might happen to her.  But on the other hand, he didn't know where she was staying either.  He thought for a moment before nodding.  "Well, she'll just have to stay with me then."  He cautiously picked her up and carried her towards the tavern door.  "I just hope she doesn't hurt me when she wakes up."

The stranger in white watched Gourry leave with a mysterious smile playing across his lips.  "Intriguing."  He took a final sip from his coffee cup before standing.  A moment later, he had slipped into the darkness of the street like a ghost.

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Next Chapter:  Lina's arrival is already sending ripples through the darkness of Sairaag.  Who is the mysterious stranger in white and what does he want with Lina?

Notes:  Hello all, and welcome to another of my stories.  If you're reading this, then you must have read the story, right?  So, please take a minute to review.  It means a lot to me and any advice and criticism is always welcome.

A note to people reading _Slayer: The Chimera Tales_.  I haven't given up on it.  Admittedly, I have hit a dry spell on the story, but it will be done sooner or later.  Just don't count on sooner.

Thanks for reading! 


	2. Terror by moonlight

Lina sighed contentedly, lost in her dreamless slumber.  She rolled over and curled up under her blanket, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.  It had been so long since she had had a good day's sleep that she had almost forgotten what it felt like.  But now, reality began to seep in and… 

"Oh, god.  What an awful night."  Lina moaned and covered her eyes.  The sunlight was intolerably bright and her head was pounding.  She gingerly touched the knot on the back of her head and hissed in pain.  It was pretty bad.  Well, a couple more hours of sleep would probably make her feel a lot better.  After all, she thought, she had earned a break.  She rolled over and hugged the large pillow she had been resting her head on.

Lina's eyes flew open.  A pillow?  When had she ever been able to afford an inn that had pillows?  She quickly sat up, and even more quickly regretted doing so.  Holding her throbbing head, she stared around the room.  She muttered, "Where the hell?"

This was obviously not a room at an inn.  Clothes were neatly stacked in the corner next to a small table that had several personal effects scattered across it.  Leaning against a wall next to the door was a sword.  And hanging from a peg on the wall were her clothes.  Her clothes?!

Lina looked down at herself in growing horror.  She was dressed in a nightshirt covered with pictures of jellyfish.  Some guy's nightshirt.  Her mind was reeling with the implications.  She had had too much to drink last night and that blond guard had taken her home and…  She whispered, "He… he took advantage of me!"  Her face reddened with shame.  "How could I let this happen?"  Her mind quickly shifted gears.  "He's a dead man."

Just then, Gourry walked in carrying a tray with some food on it.  He smiled.  "Hi!  Finally awake, huh?  Are you hungry?  I brought you some food and…"  Icy silence was his only answer.  His smile faded as he saw the murderous expression on Lina's face.  "Is this a bad time?"  He cautiously backed towards the door.

"You…"

"Uh, me?"  Gourry chuckled nervously.

With a snarl, Lina launched herself at Gourry, scattering the breakfast he had made for her and knocking him to the floor.  She sat astride his chest as she proceeded to strangle him.  "Give it back!"

Gourry struggled to dislodge Lina's fingers from his windpipe.  "Ack!  Give what back?"

"My innocence!"  Lina began to slam Gourry's head against the floor.  "You ass!"

"Ow, no it's… Ow!  Not like… Ow!  That, Lina."

"Oh?  Then how is it, Gourry?  You'd better make this good."  She squeezed his throat even harder for emphasis.

Gourry hissed, "Air!"  Seeing that Lina wasn't going to loosen her grip, he instead decided on a crude form of sign language.  He pointed at Lina, made a drinking motion, and then pretended to be unconscious.

Lina growled at him.  "I know that Gourry!  Then you brought me here and… and…"

Gourry shook his head vigorously.  His face was starting to turn blue.  He managed to work her vice like fingers free of his throat.  Seeing his chance, he inhaled and quickly spat out his explanation.  "I changed your clothes."

Lina gave up on trying to strangle Gourry.  He really was pretty strong she grudgingly admitted.  "Okay, why did you change my clothes?"

"You were sick last night and I thought that you probably didn't want to sleep in them."

Lina sighed in relief.  That sounded plausible.  Maybe he wasn't a pervert after all.  Suddenly, another thought came to her.  Her scars.  She looked down at her arms.  He had dressed her in a short sleeve shirt and the marks on her arms were horribly visible.  She crossed her arms trying to conceal as much of her skin as possible.  "Did you see..?"

Gourry quickly shook his head.  "It was dark and I had my eyes closed anyway."

Lina nodded.  "Okay, I believe you."  She stood and walked over to where her outfit was hanging.  She looked it over with a doubtful expression on her face.  "My clothes are burgundy?  I thought they were black.  Wait a second…"  She sniffed them detecting the unmistakable scent of soap.  She giggled.  "They're clean!  Oh wow!"  She looked at some of the shoddy patchwork she had done.  It had been ripped out and redone so well that it was impossible to tell where it had been torn in the first place.  She grinned at Gourry.  "You did all this?"

Gourry was massaging his bruised throat.  "Me?  Nah, I'm no good at that kind of stuff."  He began to pick up the food that he had dropped when Lina tackled him.  "I asked Sylphiel to do it for me."

Lina's grin slipped a little.  "Sylphiel?"  She looked out the window at the setting sun and coughed.  "Well, tell her I said thanks."  She hesitated a moment before continuing.  "So, I guess she's your girlfriend, or something?"  She felt a little sad all of a sudden.

Gourry thought for a moment.  Sylphiel was definitely a girl and she was his friend, so… "Yeah, I guess you could say that.  She's a priestess at the church down the street.  I've known her for years.  You know, I'd probably be dead from starvation if I hadn't met her!"  He laughed for a moment and gave Lina a puzzled look when she didn't laugh with him.  "Are you alright, Lina?"

Lina forced a smile.  "I'm fine."  She took her clothes down and gestured to the door.  "Can a girl get some privacy?"

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Zelgadis sat in the darkness and pondered.  A rogue Slayer.  Such a thing was unheard of.  And hunting in his city?  And these other incidents at the same time.  A coincidence perhaps?  He shook his head.   Coincidence was a fool's excuse, and Zelgadis Greywords was hardly a fool.  Still, he might be able to turn this to his advantage…  He glanced up and his cultured voice echoed through the chamber.  "Dilgear?  A word if you please."  He beckoned to a large loutish looking man.

Dilgear was a huge and hideous human with crimson tattoos covering every exposed inch of flesh.  "Huh?" was the oafish brute's brilliant response.  He picked a small bug out from behind his ear and popped it into his mouth.

Zelgadis sighed and shook his head.  He muttered to himself, "Father, grant me patience."  He looked at Dilgear with no small amount of disgust on his face.  "Come over here for a moment."

Dilgear nodded as he chewed on his snack.  "Uh, right.  What's up Zel?"

"You see this?"  Zelgadis produced a piece of paper from a fold in his cloak and handed it to Dilgear.

Dilgear slowly read the neat script on the parchment.  "An address?"  He looked at Zelgadis questioningly.

"Go there.  You'll see a redheaded woman and a blond man.  I want you to follow them.  Find out where they're going and what they're doing."  Zelgadis looked at Dilgear skeptically.  "Do you think you can handle that?"

Dilgear nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Dilgear?"

Dilgear turned and looked at Zelgadis.  "Yeah?"

"Be discreet."

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"Jeez, how long is that guy going to follow me?"  Lina glanced over her shoulder causing Dilgear to leap behind a tree that was far too small to conceal his massive frame..  "And besides that…"  She glanced at Gourry.  "Why are you still following me?"

Gourry shrugged.  "I'm not.  I'm a member of the city guard and I'm on patrol right now."

Lina looked at him skeptically.  "Oh, really?  Well, correct me if I'm wrong Gourry, but aren't you supposed to be patrolling an area of the city designated by your commanding officer?"

Gourry blinked in surprise.  "You think so?  Hmm, maybe that's why Zangulus isn't here."

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A few blocks away, Zangulus was cautiously backing away from a group of heavily armed and highly irate thugs.  "Come on guys!  Can't we talk about this?"  He muttered, "Damn you Gourry!"

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Lina threw up her arms in frustration.  "Never mind, Gourry!  If you're going to follow me, you might as well make yourself useful.  She grabbed his arm and pulled him into a dark alley.  "Now when that guy comes around the corner, you grab him, alright?"

"But, that would be an unprovoked assault, banned by guideline 10.61.4 in the Sairaag City Guard handbook."

Lina looked impressed.  "Wow, Gourry.  You remember all that?"  

Gourry grinned sheepishly.  "Well, no.  I kind of made that up."  He held his hands up defensively as Lina rolled up her sleeves.  "But that guy's pretty big Lina.  You think we can take him?"

Lina smiled at Gourry sweetly.  "Gourry, did I say we were going to fight him?"

Gourry scratched his head.  "Well, no I guess not…"  

"I just want to ask him why he's following us.  There's nothing wrong with that is there?  After all, you want to know why he's following us, don't you Gourry?"

"Well…"

Lina had a dangerous glint in her eye.  "Don't you, Gourry?!"

A moment later Dilgear came around the corner.  He looked around, a confused expression on his face.  "Where'd they go?"  Sniffing the air, he looked up in surprise.  "What?"

Lina and Gourry were perched rather precariously on a second story window ledge.

Lina grinned confidently.  "Idiot.  You walked right into my trap.  Go get him, Gourry!"  She shoved Gourry, launching him away from the ledge and down towards the shocked Dilgear.

Gourry screamed rather unheroically as he fell ten feet onto the much larger man's back.  Shaking off the jolt of the impact he looked under himself to see the unmoving form of Dilgear.  He shouted up to Lina.  "Hey!  Warn me before you do that!"

"Lovely."  Lina nimbly leapt from the ledge and landed gracefully and silently in the alley.  "Now to get some answers."  She began to lightly slap Dilgear's face.  "Hey ugly, wake up!  Oh no…"  Her eyes focused on some strange markings on the man's arm.

"What is it Lina?"  Gourry climbed off Dilgear and looked at the marks.  The light wasn't very good in the early evening, but they looked like strange letters written in crimson ink.  He shrugged.  "They look like normal tattoos to me."

Lina looked visibly shaken, all her bravado drained.  She spoke softly.  "It's blood magic Gourry.  See?"  She pointed at one of the marks.

"Blood magic?"

Lina nodded.  "Servants of darkness use blood magic to more closely tie themselves to the dark lord.  For them to function properly, the user has to inscribe patterns on his body with the blood of the innocent."  She trembled slightly.  "Usually children.  Each mark requires a that a new life be taken."  She wiped away a tear as she looked at the dozens of marks crisscrossing Dilgear's body.  "So much death…"  Glaring at him, she stood and drew her sword.

Gourry looked at Lina nervously.  "Lina, what are you doing?"

"My work."  Lina raised the sword over her head and was about to drive the point into Dilgear's skull when Gourry grabbed her sword arm.  She snarled, "Let me go!  He has to die!"

Gourry quickly subdued the struggling woman.  "You'll never find out why he was following you if you kill him!  Wait a second!"

Lina closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  "You're right.  Let me go Gourry."  She quickly sheathed her sword and examined the marks.  She traced one of the runes on Dilgear's arm with a finger.  "This one's an appeal for control.  This one too.  Control over what?"  Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she tried to unravel the mystery hidden in Dilgear's skin.  She muttered, "Control, control, power, control, violence."  She stopped as she reached a particularly large mark on the man's back.  She whispered, "The moon.  That could only mean…"  She whirled to face Gourry, an expression of panic written on her face.  "Gourry, get back!  He's…"

Dilgear grabbed Lina's cloak and flung her into a nearby wall.  She struck face first and fell to the ground, unmoving.  Turning to Gourry, his muscles began to ripple and twist, while gray hair began to grow over his entire body.  Snarling, he took a step towards the swordsman.  "You're the guy that jumped on me, right?"  He flexed his clawed fingers.   "I'm gonna rip your guts out."  

Gourry smirked and drew cold steel.  Werewolf blood flew.

For an instant, Dilgear looked puzzled. Then his throat fell open.  He collapsed to his knees, trying in vain to hold his injured neck closed.  He made a gurgling noise as blood ran between his fingers.  A moment later, he fell onto his face and shuddered once before lying still.

Gourry waited a moment to see if his foe would rise again.  He still remembered what had happened the previous night with the headless guy.  Seeing that Dilgear was staying down, he cautiously sheathed his sword and moved over to where Lina was lying.  He whispered, "Lina?"

Lina groaned in response.  "This really sucks.  I think I broke my nose."  She sat up and looked at the motionless Dilgear.  "Good job, Gourry."

Gourry grinned and helped Lina to her feet.  "Thank you."

Lina looked at Dilgear grimly.  "Now, I suggest we run for our lives."  She got a pained expression on her face as Dilgear stirred.  "Too late."

Dilgear climbed to his hands and knees and glared at Gourry and Lina.  He snarled at Gourry.  "I'm gonna rip your head off and shove it down her throat little man."  

Lina made a disgusted face.  "Ouch.  That sounds painful.  I must admit, you're pretty creative with your threats.  However…"  She grinned as she drew her sword.  "…I think you're all bark and no bite, dog boy."

Gourry nervously whispered to Lina, "What are you doing?  Are you trying to get him mad?"

Lina nodded and muttered, "That's the idea Gourry."  She could see the heavily trafficked street a few feet behind the hulking werewolf.  "If he's after us, he's not eating innocents."  She called out to Dilgear, "You're not a natural werewolf are you?  I could tell by your marks.  And given the skill with which they were crafted, I'm sure you didn't make them.  You're some dark priest's brainless lackey, huh?  Pathetic."

Watching the confrontation from a nearby rooftop, Zelgadis smiled.  This Slayer certainly knew her stuff.  He thought for a moment.  She looked vaguely familiar.  Where had he seen her?

Dilgear crouched down and snarled.  His ears were laid against his skull and his fur was bristling.  Another moment and he would pounce.  

Lina nodded.  Now she had his attention.  She looked at Gourry.  "Run."

Gourry shook his head and drew his sword.  "I'm not leaving you."

"You'll just get in my way!  I know what I'm doing."  Lina pointed her sword at the werewolf's heart.  When he leapt, he would be dead before he touched the ground again.

There was a moment of stillness, then the combatants moved as one.  Dilgear leapt towards Lina.  At the same time, Lina stepped forward with her sword raised.

Gourry watched this with a concerned expression on his face.  A little girl fighting a monster like this alone?  It didn't seem right.  Making his decision, Gourry leapt into action.

Lina felt Gourry's arm around her chest and she was yanked off her feet.  "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What does it look like?  I'm getting us out of here!"  Gourry effortlessly slung Lina over his shoulder as he charged down the alley away from Dilgear.  He ran towards a set of stairs leading to the rooftop of a nearby building.

Lina pounded on Gourry's back as he carried her.  "Damn it!  Put me down Gourry!  I can take care of myself!"  Fangs snapped mere inches away from her face.  She looked up to see the furious Dilgear a few feet behind them.  "Gourry, run faster."

Gourry ran up the rickety steps with Dilgear right on his heels.  Reaching the rooftop he tossed Lina aside roughly and turned to face their pursuer.  He reached for his sword, but the werewolf was already upon him.

Dilgear snarled, "Not this time!"  He plowed into Gourry, throwing him roughly to the ground.  He raised clawed hand, planning to tear the stunned swordsman's throat out.  A small hurt on his arm drew his attention away from the swordsman.  Looking down, he saw a trickle of blood running down his bicep and laughed.  "Oh look!  The gnat has a sting."  He loomed menacingly over Lina.

Lina held her sword in one hand and a pouch in the other.  "You are really starting to piss me off."  She pointed to her injured nose.  "Look what you did to my face!"  She flung the pouch into Dilgear's face where it exploded in a cloud of silver.

"What?!"  Dilgear covered his face and staggered back a few steps.  He cautiously opened his eyes and looked at Lina.  "Well, what was that?"

Lina muttered, "Back to the drawing board, I guess."  Apparently, the werewolf hadn't inhaled, making the powder somewhat useless.  She glanced down at the pile of silver dust.  That had been expensive.  Now she had to do things the hard way.

Zelgadis nodded, apparently impressed with Lina's ingenuity.  "Silver dust.  How very clever."  He crouched down on the rooftop across the alley, curious to see what the Slayer would try next.

Lina and Dilgear engaged in a deadly dance, each trying to find an opening without leaving themselves exposed.  

In a rare moment of mental clarity, Dilgear had determined that Lina might actually be a threat and shouldn't be trifled with.  Her silver blade struck several times, wounding his pride more than anything else.  Whenever he retaliated, he found the redhead to be just out of reach of his talons.  She was incredibly quick and irritating and he was swiftly losing his patience.

Trying to keep her breathing even, Lina desperately hoped that the werewolf would do something stupid soon.  She was getting tired.  She spared Gourry a quick glance.  Out cold.  He wouldn't be any help.  Not that she needed it.  She feinted to the left, trying to throw Dilgear off guard.  It worked and a moment later, her sword was buried to the hilt in his stomach.  She smirked.  "Gotcha."

Dilgear grunted and grabbed Lina's head.  He shook her violently, causing her to lose her grip on the sword.  He flung her away and pulled her sword from his abdomen, howling in pain as he did so.  He tossed it off the edge of the roof, savoring the panicked expression on her face.  "No more toys, little girl."

Lina grinned as she stood and dusted herself off.  "I don't need it anyway."  She concealed a handful of silver dust behind her back.  She eyed the wound in his stomach with no small amount of satisfaction.  "You're bleeding to death.  Nothing can save you now, dog boy."

Trying to stem the steady flow of blood from his abdomen, Dilgear snarled and advanced on Lina.  "You'll see hell before I do girlie."  He roared and took a clumsy swipe at her, which she deftly avoided.

A moment later, Lina had her hand halfway down Dilgear's throat.  "Eat it!"  She quickly pulled back before he could snap his jaws shut on her arm.

Dilgear grabbed his neck, the stomach injury totally forgotten.  "Ack!"  It felt as if the inside of his throat was burning up.  "Ack!"  He fell to his knees, his eyes bulging in terror as he struggled to breathe.

Lina sat down in front of him with a sigh.  "Well, aren't you verbose?" she asked with a wry grin.  "Who sent you wolfy?  Give me a name and I'll finish you quick."

Dilgear tried to speak, but only managed to vomit up a large amount of blood mingled with silver.  "Ack!"

Gourry sat up, rubbing his head and wincing.  He watched the exchange between Lina and Dilgear with an expression of revulsion on his face.

Lina nodded solemnly.  "Well, unless your employer's name is Ack, I really don't think we're getting anywhere, so…" she scooped another handful of silver off the roof and continued, "…maybe we'll do your eyes this time.  How does that sound?"

Dilgear's breath was coming in short ragged gasps.  "…elga…"  He quickly shook his head as Lina raised her hand.  He sounded as if he were pleading as he struggled to speak.  "…elga!  …elga!"

Gourry grabbed Lina's wrist, forcing her to drop the dust.  "Stop it Lina!"

Lina glared at Gourry.  "What are you doing?!"

Gourry shook his head.  "He's beaten.  There's no need to torture him like this!  Nobody should suffer needlessly."

Lina snatched her hand away from Gourry.  "He's a monster Gourry.  His power is derived from the blood of the innocent.  He doesn't deserve any mercy!"

"I concur" a soft voice spoke from the edge of the roof.  Lina and Gourry turned just in time to see the man in white flick his wrist.  

An instant later, a silver dagger was buried between Dilgear's eyes.  He almost looked grateful as he fell onto his face.  He twitched before shifting back to his human form.

Lina looked at Dilgear's body then at the man.  "I wasn't done with him!  Who the hell are you anyway?"

Zelgadis ignored Lina's question as he strode across the roof towards them.  Brushing past Lina he leaned down and yanked his silver dagger from Dilgear's skull.  He wiped it on the werewolf's tattered shirt before concealing it in his cloak.

Lina grabbed the front of the man's cloak and pulled him down to eye level.  She snarled, "I asked you a question."  She looked him over suspiciously.

Zelgadis was a handsome man with pale features who looked to be about twenty.  Unruly black hair spilled out from under the hood he was wearing, concealing one of his eyes.  The other one was fixed on Lina angrily.  He hissed, "Zelgadis Greywords."  He grabbed Lina's wrist and squeezed it, forcing her to release her grip on his cloak.  "Never touch me again wench."

"Ow!"  Lina tried to dislodge Zelgadis's fingers from her wrist, but the man apparently had far more strength than his slim form revealed.  The two of them glared at each other, locked in a test of wills that neither one wanted to lose.

Seeing that Lina wasn't going to surrender and Zelgadis was probably going to break her arm, Gourry intervened by putting the point of his sword to Zelgadis's neck.  "Let her go."  

Lina glared at Gourry as she continued her futile struggle.  "I don't need your help!"

Gourry ignored her.  "Right now, Zelgadis."  He pressed his blade into the pale flesh of Zelgadis's neck.

Zelgadis briefly considered snapping the impudent girl's arm off, but released her instead.  He sighed and pushed Gourry's sword away from his throat.  "No need for that."  He begrudgingly extended his hand to Lina.  "Please accept my apology.  I'm a Slayer, like you.  I'd like to make you an offer."

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Tony was a cheerful boy despite troubles at home.  No normal parent would allow a child of eight to wander the streets alone, especially in Sairaag.  Tony's "parents" weren't normal though.  Spending most of their lives highly inebriated, they were barely aware that they even had a son.

That was why Tony was wandering around the rough part of town well after dark.  He didn't mind though.  He knew enough to stay away from strange adults.  Truth be told, he was actually proud of how well he could take care of himself.  Right now he was thinking about getting down to the tavern and sponging some free food off of Mr. Walters.

Tony stopped and cocked his head, listening for some noise.  There it was again.  Quiet footsteps in the alley ahead of him.  He peered into the gloom and cautiously called out, "Hello?"  He took a step back as a silhouette stepped away from the shadows into the street.

It was a little boy who looked to be about the same age as Tony.  He grinned mischievously.  "Oh, hello."

Tony smiled back.  If it had been an adult he would have already run away.  There were some weird people in Sairaag after all.  But, there couldn't be anything wrong with a kid, right?  "I'm Tony.  What's your name?"

The boy brushed his shoulder length dark hair out of his face.  "Phibrizzo.  Hey, do you want to see something cool?"  He pointed to the window of a dark warehouse.  "We can get in there if you help me reach.  The latch has been broken for a while now."

Tony nodded excitedly.  "Okay!"  The opportunity to explore an old warehouse couldn't be passed up, especially by a young boy prone to mischief.  Maybe there was still some stuff in there.  He darted down the alley to the broken window.  "Okay, let's go!"

Phibrizzo smiled wickedly.  "Alright."

Tony was too busy imagining what treasures lay within the old building to notice Phibrizzo pull something out of his pocket.  He didn't even have an opportunity to scream when the boy clapped a hand over his mouth and cut his throat with a rusty blade.  

Phibrizzo held onto him, giggling as he listened to the gurgling noises Tony made as he died.  He whispered, "Wasn't that fun?"  He released Tony and looked around to see if he had been observed.  Seeing that he was alone, he dragged Tony's body into the darkness while humming a jaunty little tune…

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Next Chapter:  Zelgadis claims to be a friend, but after that introduction does Lina dare to trust him?  And is there a method to Phibrizzo's madness?

Notes:  I guess I should get this out of the way.  There's going to be some humor in this fic, but there are going to be some pretty graphic scenes as well.  It's listed as Horror for a reason.  So, if that's not your thing, don't say I didn't warn you.  Admittedly, I warned you after the fact, but a warning is a warning, right?  I'm also toying with the idea of upping the rating to R.  Tell me what you think.  There might be some implied sex down the road and more gore as well.

Let's get on to the reviews.

Zaber, my story made your favorite list?  I'm flattered.  I hope you decide to stick around for the rest of it.

*watches Boo hop around*  I knew I shouldn't have given you those marshmallows…  Thanks for reviewing.

Until next time!


	3. Deals in the dark

Lina watched Gourry finish off another chicken leg and grinned.  "Jeez, Gourry.  Where do you put it all?"  She had never really been able to afford big meals.  After all, hunting for imaginary creatures didn't really pay the bills.

Gourry grinned and wiped his face on his sleeve.  "Oh, you know.  Being a guardsman, I have to keep my strength up."  He turned to their new companion and held up a plate of fish.  "Want some Zel?"

Zelgadis shook his head once and sipped his coffee.  "No, that's quite alright Gourry.  You go right ahead."  He was in something of a foul mood this evening.  Had he overestimated these two?  They were nothing but buffoons.  He heaved a sigh.  Well, Lina might be useful.  He glanced at her and saw that she was staring at him distrustfully.  She would be hard to control though.

"You said you had a proposal, Zel?"  Lina took another gulp of wine and slammed her cup down on the table.  She bellowed, "Hey waiter!  Bring me another one!"  She crossed her arms and looked at Zelgadis warily.  "I'm gonna be honest with you."

Gourry rolled his eyes.  "Oh boy…"

"I don't like you, at all.  So, if you don't start giving me some answers, we're walking right out of here."

Zelgadis snorted as he watched Lina sway in her seat.  "Walk out of here, Lina?  In your current state, I doubt you could walk five steps."  He held up his hand to silence her response and continued, "Anyway, I want you to help me.  You may have noticed that Sairaag is not the bastion of safety that it used to be."

Lina chuckled.  "Zel, I don't know who you think you're fooling.  Sairaag was never safe.  I learned that when I was a little girl."

Zelgadis nodded as he sipped his coffee.  "That's it.  I thought you looked familiar.  You're Luna's little sister if I'm not mistaken."  

Lina muttered, "Yeah, that's right."

Zelgadis had an enigmatic smile on his face.  "Tell me, how is dear Luna these days?"

Lina was trembling with barely contained anger as she glared at Zelgadis.  "Are you mocking me?"

Zelgadis chuckled.  "Not at all.  It was a simple question.  Am I to assume then, that Luna is no longer with us?  That's hardly surprising."

Lina's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Zelgadis continued.  "After all, she always was far too reckless for her own good."  He closed his eyes and took another sip of coffee.  "That's not important though.  My proposal-"

Lina lunged across the table and punched Zelgadis in the face before he could finish.  She would have tackled him if Gourry hadn't restrained her.  She shouted at him, "Don't you ever say anything bad about Sis!"  She struggled to free herself from Gourry's grasp.  "I'll kill you!"

Zelgadis sat on the floor trying to comprehend what had happened.  He looked down at himself and saw coffee all over the front of his shirt.  He gingerly touched his nose and hissed when his hand came away bloody.  Looking around he saw several tavern patrons pointing at him and laughing.  

"Hey buddy!  You try to get frisky with the lady?" was one fat man's incredibly witty comment.

Zelgadis looked at Lina and his expression quickly shifted from bewilderment to hatred.  He snarled, "You … you bitch!"  He leapt to his feet and reached for his sword.

Gourry sighed and muttered, "Lina, do you end up trying to kill everyone you meet?"

Lina struggled against Gourry.  "Well, I haven't killed you yet!  Let me go!"  She kicked him in the shin and slipped out of his grasp.  She pointed at Zelgadis angrily.  "Listen up Zel!  If you want my help, you'd better start showing me a little respect!  And that includes respecting my sister."

Zelgadis glared at Lina through slitted eyes.  This wasn't worth the trouble.  He should kill them both and abort this whole stupid scheme.  He glanced around the room.  Twenty, maybe thirty potential witnesses stared at him.  Could he get them all?  Even if he did, his father was sure to find out about this and that would be the end of Zelgadis's plan, to say nothing of his life.  His decision made, Zelgadis sighed and lowered his sword.  "I … apologize."  He gestured to the table.  "Can we continue?"  He righted his chair and took a seat.

Lina did the same, as did Gourry as soon as he was sure that the potential for violence was gone.

Zelgadis sniffed and wiped his bloody nose.  "As I was saying before you so violently interrupted me, I'd like to propose a partnership.  As you noted, Sairaag isn't a safe place.  I don't know if you've heard of the Eternal Twilight…"

Lina nodded tersely.  "I have."

Gourry spoke up.  "That's the thing with the headless guys, right Lina?"

Lina and Zelgadis both stared at Gourry for a moment before continuing their conversation.

"Some people in the church seem to think that the Eternal Twilight never ended.  I don't know about that, but things have been getting pretty bad lately.  Something dark is growing within the city and the Slayers don't have any idea of what it is or how to stop it."

Lina grinned cockily.  "And you need the infamous Slayer Lina Inverse to bail you guys out, right?"

Zelgadis sulked for a moment before muttering, "Well, I wouldn't have put it quite like that, but yes that is the gist of it.  Well, what do you say?"

Lina crossed her arms.  "What's in it for me?"

Zelgadis chuckled.  "Are you a Slayer or a mercenary?  What happened to working for the greater good?"

Lina grinned.  "I don't mind doing my work.  That's not the problem.  But, when I have to do someone else's work because they're too damn stupid to figure out what's going on, I need a little compensation."  She rubbed her fingers together.  "So, cough up some cash or we walk Zel."

Zelgadis sighed and reached into his cloak.  He threw a large pouch of money onto the table.  "500, Is that enough?"

Lina tried to maintain a neutral expression.  She'd never even seen 500 gold pieces before.  With that much money she could buy all sorts of things.  She imagined all the possibilities, Silver.  The silver dust was useful, but prohibitively expensive.  She'd saved for a month to buy the last pouch of it.  Maybe some new clothes too.  Maybe even a dress.  She'd never had a dress before.  That would be nice.  And maybe a couple days at an inn with a bed that she didn't have to check for rats before sleeping in.

Gourry and Zelgadis watched nervously as Lina stared off into space giggling.

Zelgadis leaned over and whispered in Gourry's ear, "Um, is she okay?"

Gourry nodded as he munched on some bread.  "I think you have a deal, Zel."

Lina cleared her throat and struggled to keep the grin off her face.  "Yes, I think that we can do business, Zel."  She quickly stashed the sack of gold in her cloak.  "This will do as a down payment."

Zelgadis was sipping his coffee and sputtered.  "Down payment?!"

Lina looked at Gourry happily.  "Well Gourry, are you ready to go?  We have work to do!"

Gourry scratched his head.  "We' have work to do?  Lina, why do I have to go with you?"

"Well if you think about it, it makes sense Gourry.  You're a member of the guards.  You're supposed to be on the lookout for trouble.  I'm usually getting into trouble.  So, when I kill some evil little beastie, you'll already be there for damage control, saving the city millions.  That makes sense, doesn't it?"

Zelgadis cleared his throat.  "Uh, hello?  'Down payment?"

Gourry frowned.  "I guess so, Lina."  His expression brightened.  "So does this mean that I get some of that money?"

"No", Lina said flatly.

"No?  Why not?"

Lina sighed.  "Well Gourry, you're a city guard.  How do you think it would look if people found out that an innocent little girl like me actually had to pay a guard for protection?"

Gourry sighed.  "Not good, right?

Lina nodded solemnly.  "Not good at all Gourry.  So, I'll do you a favor and keep all the money.  I will let you pay for dinner though.  That makes you look good too, you know."

Zelgadis whispered to Gourry, "She's kidding about the down payment thing, right?"

Gourry watched Lina happily counting her money for a moment.  "I wouldn't bet on it."

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"You really should be more careful."  Phibrizzo admonished Tony's corpse.  "You never can tell what kind of people you'll meet in the dark."  He slung the body to the ground and took a quick look up and down the street.  Seeing that he was alone, he picked his burden up with a grunt and continued.  "Are you even listening to me, Tony?"

Tony's glassy eyes stared straight ahead, but saw nothing.

Phibrizzo shook his head and grinned.  "My, my. Children these days.   No respect for anyone.  As I was saying, it's dangerous to wander around alone.  You're lucky you met me though.  Old Hellmaster will take care of you.  Ah, here we are!"  He looked up and smiled. An old condemned building loomed before him.  "Home sweet home."  He walked up a rickety set of stairs and kicked the rotted front door in.  "I really think that you're going to like it here Tony.  We all have so much fun."  He walked down a pitch-black hallway, his eyes glowing red in the darkness.  "So much fun."  He began to hum happily as he dragged the body through the building.  "Let's see.  Not this one.  No, no.  Ah, here we are!"  He slung Tony onto the ground and opened a door.  

A flight of stairs led downwards into the blackness.  The scent of rotten meat hung heavily in the air.

Phibrizzo grimaced and fanned the smell away from his face.  "Phew!  Some of our friends down there are getting a little ripe, but I'm sure you'll love it.  Well, off you go!"  He pointed down the stairs as if expecting Tony to scamper down them.  He rolled his eyes and muttered, "You're being a real pain Tony.  Wake up!"

Tony's body jerked spastically for a moment before it jumped to its feet.

Phibrizzo laughed.  "That's the spirit!  Now, you're going to need this."  He handed Tony a large, rusty sewing needle and some wire.  "Just find a spot and tuck yourself in, will you?  I'd do it myself, but there's still so much work to do."

Tony took a couple of jerky steps towards the stairs.

Phibrizzo held out a foot and tripped Tony causing him to tumble down the stairs.  He called after him, "Oh, watch out for that first step!"  He laughed cruelly.

Tony sat up at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at Phibrizzo.  The needle jutted from one of his eyes.  Apparently unhindered, he stood and, with the same jerky movement as before, continued on into the darkness. 

************************************************************************

"Well, that could have gone a little smoother, Lina.  Do you always have to be the center of attention?"  Gourry glanced around the room at the other tavern patrons.  They were all eyeing Lina's sack of gold greedily.  He sighed.  "There's going to be trouble later.  Hey, are you even listening to me?"

Lina dropped the last of the coins into the sack.  "500.  Oh, wow!  He was serious!"  Lina giggled and put the sack away before turning to Gourry.  Her mirth faded instantly.  "Later, Gourry?  There's trouble now."  

"What do you mean Lina?"

Lina started to list things on her fingers.  "First of all, no Slayer would ever be able to afford to pay me this much.  Especially as a down payment.  Sis and I used to live in a bad section of town and she was the best Slayer the church had."

"Yeah, about that Lina.  What happened to your sis-"

"Secondly!"  Lina said loudly, cutting Gourry off.  "Given the secretive nature of the Slayers, they would never ask an outsider to do their work.  There's too much opportunity for gossip if they had a freelancer working for them."  She sighed heavily.  "And finally, did you notice how eager Zel was to keep our meeting discreet?"

Gourry shook his head.  "How so?"

"Well Gourry, instead of taking us to a safe house, he takes us to a seedy little tavern.  On top of that, he backed down from a fight just now.  That doesn't seem like his style.  He doesn't want anyone to know what he's doing, and that makes me nervous."

"I see."  Gourry scratched his head.  "So, what are we going to do now, Lina?"

"We' aren't going to do anything Gourry.  You're going to go home and go to bed.  I'm going to take a walk and try to figure some things out."  Lina stood and stretched.  "I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?"

Gourry looked nervous.  "A walk?  Lina, it's three in the morning."  He looked around the room suspiciously.  "And these guys would probably love to relieve you of your money."

Lina winked at Gourry.  "Aw, are you worried about me?"  She frowned.  "Well, don't!  How many times do I have to tell you that I can take care of myself?"  She stomped out of the tavern.

Gourry watched her leave, a hurt expression on his face.  He sighed and threw some coins on the table.  "What's her problem anyway?"

************************************************************************

Lina walked down the street, lost in thought.  Her face was still pink from embarrassment.  She muttered, "Stupid Gourry, worrying about me.  I don't need anyone to worry about me.  I'm not worried."  She looked down to see her hands shaking violently.  She crossed her arms.  "I can take care of myself."

Glancing up, Lina realized where she was heading.  "Home."  She chuckled.  "This is my street."  She picked up her pace slightly and continued on.  "Well, why did you ask for his help?  That was pretty damn stupid, Lina."  She shrugged.  "Well, he's strong and pretty good with a sword.  He could be helpful."

An image of Gourry's face came to Lina.  Those friendly blue eyes.  That long blond hair.  That handsome face.  He was so…

Lina whispered, "Cute."  Her face turned crimson at the thought.  "You've known him for twenty four hours!  Get a grip.  He could be a monster or something."  She shook her head and sighed.  Gourry was no monster.  She was sure of that.  "He does have a girlfriend though."  That Sylphiel girl.  She could cook, sew, and she was probably beautiful too, a lot prettier than Lina, at least.

Lina looked around briefly before rolling up her sleeve.  Her scars were horribly visible in the pale moonlight.  She snorted.  "Yeah, right.  There are stray dogs prettier than you, Lina."  Having thoroughly depressed herself, she walked on in silence for a while.

Lina's breath caught in her throat when she looked up.  The burned out skeleton of her old home loomed before her.  Putting her thoughts of Gourry aside for the moment, she carefully picked her way through the building until she came to her old apartment.

It was a ruin of burnt lumber.  Anything of value would have been looted a long time ago, so there was really no reason to go in.  If Lina were smart, she would turn around and leave.  She had to find a place to spend the day and there was other stuff to worry about anyway.

Throwing logic aside, Lina walked through the remains of the doorway and began to sift through the rubble.  There was the table that was missing a leg.  Luna had snapped one of them off in an attempt to defend herself, she remembered.

Lina sniffled quietly as the memory came flooding back.  Luna ordering her out the window, Luna staying behind to stall their pursuer, Luna dying horribly because of Lina.  She sobbed, "I'm sorry, Sis."

Moving one particularly large board aside, Lina gasped.  Her hands shaking, she reached down and picked up the sad ruined remains of a teddy bear.  Luna had spent three days worth of tips on it, she remembered.  It had been a birthday present, one of the few that she had gotten since their parents had died.

"Take good care of it", Luna had said, trying but failing to conceal a smile.

Lina had happily agreed of course.  It had been an honest to goodness birthday present.  "Thanks Sis!  I will!"

"So much for that promise, huh?"  Her eyes glistening with tears, Lina hugged the grimy bear tightly, as if she could reclaim some of her lost happiness.  She heard quiet footsteps behind her and sighed.  Gourry had been right after all.  Those greedy bastards from the tavern wanted her money.  She set the stuffed animal safely out of the way and turned to face the intruder.  "I am really not in the mood for this right now, so if you run away I might let you live."

"Oh my heavens.  I do hope that you'll spare an old man's life."  The indistinct figure stepped out of the shadows.  It was an older man wearing the robes of a priest.  He had shoulder length purple hair with streaks of gray at his temples.  He opened an azure eye and grinned.  "How have you been young lady?"

Lina's eyes widened in surprise.  She laughed and ran towards the figure, almost tripping over a scorched hunk of lumber before flinging herself into his waiting arms.  "Xellos!"

Xellos chuckled.  "Careful there, Lina.  I'd hate to see you hurt yourself.  Here, let me have a look at you."  He lifted her chin with a finger, revealing a pretty face smudged with dirt.  "My, my.  Look at how you've grown!"  He wiped a smidge of dust off her cheek with his gloved hand.

Lina smiled.  "It's so good to see you!  How have you been?"  She hugged Xellos tightly.

"Oh, better than I deserve."  Xellos glared over Lina's shoulder at a man hiding in the shadows across the street.

"Xellos, huh?"  Zelgadis keen ears had caught the man's name as easily as if he had been standing right next to them.  He snorted.  The priest obviously couldn't see him, concealed as well as he was.  His eyes widened when Xellos grinned wickedly and waggled a finger at him, as if admonishing a misbehaving child.  He whispered, "How the hell?"  He looked to the east where the sky was just beginning to turn pink.  The dawn was approaching.  He would have to abandon this new mystery until another evening.  "Damn it."  Giving the priest one last venomous glare, he turned on his heel and sulked into the darkness of the alley.

Xellos watched Zelgadis through slitted eyes, while gently stroking Lina's hair.  Only a few days back, and his young charge had already managed to stir up more trouble than even she suspected.  Oh well.  He would have been disappointed if she hadn't.  When he was sure that Zelgadis was gone, he turned back to Lina and kissed a clean spot on her forehead.  "And how have you been, Miss Inverse?  Or is it missus now?"

Lina blushed and gently smacked Xellos on the arm.  "Of course it's Miss!  I'm only eighteen you know!"

Xellos raised an eyebrow.  "Oh, is that all?  It seems like it's been an eternity since I last saw you.  You disappeared after your sister's funeral.  I was worried about you."

Lina shook her head and sighed.  "I'm sorry Xellos.  It hurt too much to stay.  I didn't mean to worry you or anything."

"Don't concern yourself with that.  We all have to deal with problems in our own way.  I always knew that you'd be back."  Xellos eyed the medallion around Lina's neck.  "You're carrying on her work, I assume?"

Lina looked at Xellos in disbelief.  "How did you know?"

"That, my dear, is a secret.  Now come along.  The hour is late and you need some rest.  You can stay in the spare bedroom.  I've already made it up."  Xellos took Lina's arm and began to gently lead her out of the wreckage.

"Hold on a sec."  Lina broke away from Xellos briefly and picked up her stuffed bear.  She slipped it into her cloak and walked back over to the priest.

Xellos smiled indulgently.  "Ready?"

Lina nodded and fell into step beside the priest.  "You know, I've never really understood you, Xellos."

Xellos raised an eyebrow.  "Oh?  Do tell."

"Well, like tonight for instance.  How did you know that I didn't have a place to stay?  And what were you doing out here before dawn?"  Lina glanced at Xellos, who was making a point of staring straight ahead.  "And this isn't the first time, either.  You always knew when I fell asleep during one of your sermons."

"Well, as often as that happened Lina, I wouldn't think that you would find it surprising."

"Yeah, I guess so."  Lina thought for a second.  "That wasn't the only thing though.  You always had candy for me when I was feeling sad."  

"Cherry lollipops."  Xellos nodded.  "They were your favorite."

"That's right. I guess what I want to ask is, what's your secret?"

Xellos stroked his chin for a moment, lost in thought.  He smiled and answered, "Well Lina, if I told you my secret," He chuckled before continuing.  "Then it wouldn't be a secret would it?"

Lina sighed in defeat.  "You're impossible."

"Hmm, so I've been told."  Xellos glanced over his shoulder, as if looking for some pursuer.  The street behind them was empty though.  He smiled.  "Well, let's see about that room, shall we?"

************************************************************************

Zelgadis threw the heavy stone door open as if it were weightless.  He stormed down the stairs into the safety and comfort of the darkness.  This evening had been most infuriating.  First, that obnoxious Inverse girl had the nerve to strike him.  He touched his broken nose.  By tomorrow night, it would be totally healed, but that was beside the point.  

Then there was the small matter of that priest, Xellos.  Somehow, he had known that Zelgadis was following Lina.  He replayed Xellos's mocking wave in his mind.  Now there was another enigma wandering around his city that didn't know his place.  He tore his cloak off and flung it onto the floor.  

Trying to focus on something positive, Zelgadis thought of Dilgear.  At least that part of his plan had gone off without a hitch.  He smiled wickedly.  In the end everything would work out.  All the pieces would fall into place and the random factors, Lina and that Xellos to be specific, would be taken care of.  One way or another.  He sat down upon his throne and closed his eyes.  

Zolf, a frail and gray haired old man, stepped out of the shadows of the chamber and cleared his throat.

Zelgadis sighed.  "Speak."

"A message from the capital, my lord.  From your father."

Zelgadis's eyes flew open and he stared at Zolf.  "What?  Give it to me!"  He snatched the roll of parchment from his servant and examined the seal.  It was the symbol of the church.  This was definitely from his father.  He broke the seal and scanned the contents of the letter silently.  He looked up at Zolf and muttered, "He's coming."

"Excellent news, my lord!"  Zolf bowed down at Zelgadis's feet.  "Everything is going just as you planned."

"Hmm."  Zelgadis's expression darkened and he thought briefly about Lina and Xellos.  

"Is there a problem, my lord?"  

Zelgadis looked down at where Zolf was groveling at his feet.  "Nothing that you need to concern yourself with.  Make preparations for my father's arrival.  We only have a few weeks to put everything in order."

Zolf nodded eagerly.  "Of course, master!"  He hurried off into the darkness, leaving Zelgadis alone with his thoughts again.

"Xellos", Zelgadis muttered darkly.  He had only seen the man briefly, but already he disliked him greatly.  He nodded.  Tomorrow night, he would pay the mysterious priest a visit.  He would ascertain whether or not he was a threat and deal with him accordingly.  

Content with his decision, Zelgadis slipped into a dreamless slumber.

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Next Chapter:  Zelgadis discovers that he isn't the only manipulator in Sairaag.  Who can Lina trust?

Notes:  I know it took a while, but rest assured that the story is coming along nicely.  The next chapter is already done and chapter 5 is off to a good start.

Is everyone enjoying the story so far?  I especially enjoyed writing the Hellmaster bits in these last two chapters.  Usually, I write pretty impulsively and there's not really any buildup or suspense in my stories.  I'm trying to change that with Phibrizzo and another villain that's going to be popping up soon.  All in all, I'm very pleased with how this has come out so far.

Oh, a very special thanks to my beta reader, Boo-san!  Take a bow, Boo!

Reviewer Response:

Thanks to Colin, Slash, and Zaber for your kind words.

Pogo, you thought Gourry was a bit too dumb?  Is that possible?  Just kidding.  I know Gourry's not stupid.  I'll try to tone it down a bit in the next couple chapters.

CT, on board for another of my stories, eh?  Hope you enjoy it.  As to whether or not Zel's a villain, think of it this way.  Zel's going to be Zel.  Cold, kind of a jackass, and power hungry.  The only difference is that he's not cursed in this story.  Well, not in the usual sense, anyways.  Look for Amelia to make her first appearance in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading everyone!


	4. Positioning the pawns

"The two of you are, without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest disgraces to ever wear the uniform of the Sairaag City Guard!  If I wasn't shorthanded already, I'd can both of your useless hides!"  Captain Gaav, clad in his garish orange trench coat, had been reprimanding Zangulus and Gourry for the last fifteen minutes.  "Zangladus!" he bellowed.

Zangulus quickly saluted.  "Sir, it's um Zangulus, sir!"  He was sweating profusely.

Gaav's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Zangulus nodded quickly.  "Zangladus will do nicely sir."

"What in the hell were you thinking last night?!"  Gaav slammed his fist down on the desk.  "Congratulations!  You have single handedly made this department the laughingstock of the city!"

"Yes sir!"  Zangulus had been found earlier that morning, dangling by his feet from the top of a flagpole wearing nothing but his hat and a mortified expression.  He glared at Gourry angrily.  "My partner was missing last night and I got in a little over my head, sir."

Gaav raised a bushy red eyebrow, and his deadly gaze turned to the other man standing in his office.  "Oh?  You were 'missing', Gabriev?"

Gourry smiled and shook his head.  "No sir.  I knew where I was at all times last night."  He scratched his head briefly.  "At least I think I knew."  He watched Gaav's expression with wide eyes.  "Did you know that your face is almost as red as your hair, sir?"

Zangulus stared at Gourry, a look of utter horror etched into his face.  He squeaked, "Oh my god…"

Gaav's eye twitched.  A moment later his deep laughter rang through the office.  "That's very good, Gabriev!  You're a comedian.  I like that."  He slowly stood up.  At seven feet tall, he easily loomed over the two guards.  "I've got the perfect assignment for a couple of comedians."  He clapped Zangulus on the back causing him to stagger.

Zangulus cleared his throat.  "Just for the record sir, I think your face looks fine."

Gaav glared at him for a moment.

Zangulus nodded briefly.  "I'll shut up now."

"Glad to hear it, Zangladus.  Now, take a look at this."  Gaav walked over to a map of the city pinned on one of his office walls.  He pointed to a spot near the waterfront.  "See this area?  Get to know it.  It's your new patrol route."  He sat back down and grinned evilly.  "Boys, you are dismissed."

Zangulus examined the map for a moment.  His eyes widened when he recognized the location.  "Sir, you can't be serious.  They kill guards for sport down there.  Isn't there any alternative?"

Gaav leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the desk.  He put his hands behind his head and thought for a moment.   "Well, I briefly considered killing the two of you myself.  That's an alternative I suppose."  He sighed.  "But I just can't see doing twenty to life just for the small pleasure of strangling you wastes of space.  Can you?"

Zangulus nodded.  "I agree completely, sir."  He hissed at Gourry, "Let's go before he changes his mind!"

After the two guards had made a hasty retreat from Gaav's office, he pulled a bottle of aspirin from a drawer.  He dry swallowed two of the tablets and massaged his temples, "God damn comedians."

************************************************************************

Lina frowned as she poked absentmindedly at her stew.  It was really quite good, but she wasn't really hungry.  Her mind wandered to the events of the past couple days.  It was just supposed to be a quick hunt in Sairaag.  Come into town, kill Lupin, and be off again.  She sighed.  Things had gotten complicated so quickly.  First there was the idiotic mistake with Lupin.  Then there was that werewolf that was following her, and Zelgadis.  She knew that he had some sort of agenda, and then of course there was that guard.  She whispered, "Gourry…"

Xellos watched Lina out of the corner of his eye as she struggled to sort out her problems.  It really wasn't fair.  A girl her age should have been out enjoying life instead of worrying about the demons of the night.   "A silver for your thoughts, young lady?" he said as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table.  "You look troubled."

Lina shook her head and smiled insincerely.  "Nothing's wrong.  I was just thinking."  She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, as Xellos seemed to stare right through her.

"As you say," Xellos said after a long moment of scrutiny.  He winked at her and began to rummage around in his pocket.  "But, assuming that there was something wrong, I thought that this might help."

Lina giggled when she saw what he was holding.  "Cherry, right?" she asked as she took the lollypop.  "Hey, what is this?" she asked trying to determine what kind of animal it was shaped as.

Xellos poured himself some tea, "Jellyfish."

Her mirth faded as she looked at it.  "Candy doesn't help me forget my problems anymore."  She thought back to the events of the past few days.  She recalled having her throat licked by Lupin with a shudder.

Xellos looked at Lina sadly, as if he could sense her thoughts.  "I know.  But there are other methods of dealing with your problems, Lina."  He put his elbows on the table and cupped his face in his hands.

Lina rolled her eyes.  "Assuming I had a problem, which I don't…"

Xellos nodded and took a sip of his tea, "Of course not."

Lina sighed, "What would you suggest?"

Xellos smiled impishly.  "I believe that's something you'll have to find out for yourself.  I will tell you that it's closer than you think."

Lina groaned.  "Xellos, you are the biggest pain in the ass I've ever met.  Can't you ever give me an easy answer?"

The mischievous glint in Xellos's eyes was answer enough.

Lina snorted and pushed her chair away from the table.  She looked out the window at the setting sun and muttered, "I've got to go.  I'll see you later."  She glanced at Xellos expecting some sort of response.

Xellos gazed out the window, a thoughtful expression on his face.  He gave no indication that he had heard Lina.

Lina rolled her eyes and turned to leave.  "Bye."  She had opened the door and was about to leave when the priest spoke.

"When was the last time you saw the midday sun?" Xellos asked suddenly.  His gaze never left the window.

Lina furrowed her brow in thought.  "I don't know.  It has to have been a couple of years at least.  Why?"

"Why do you suppose that is, Lina?"

Lina put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot impatiently.  "Come on Xellos.  I don't have time to play right now."  

"I don't play games Lina.  I leave that to the young and the young at heart."  Xellos grinned.  

"Then why the annoying questions?"

"I'm inquisitive.  Humor an old man."

Lina muttered, "Damn fruitcake."  She shook her head irritably.  "Xellos, you're starting to piss me off.  Lay off the interrogation, alright?"  She waited a moment for the priest to say something, but he seemed content to watch the setting sun with that wistful expression on his face.  "Oh, for the love of… Fine!  We'll do things your way."  She stormed back across the room and sat down in the chair.  She crossed her arms angrily.  "My targets move by night.  I have to, too.  Can I go now?"

Xellos chuckled.  "I don't recall telling you that you had to stay, Lina."  He finally looked away from the window, fixing his amethyst eyes on her ruby ones.  "Listen to me.  The creatures you hunt thrive on darkness.  It provides their sustenance and shelter."

"I know that.  What's your point?"

"Humans need light.  When they spend too much time in the dark, they risk embracing the darkness themselves.  Do you get my meaning?"

Lina felt a pang of guilt.  She suddenly had the strange idea that Xellos knew what she had done to Dilgear.  He knew about the torture that she had inflicted on the werewolf.  She suddenly found herself unable to meet Xellos's steady gaze.  She muttered, "Sorry."

Xellos shook his head and chuckled contentedly.  "No need for apologies, Lina.  The fact that you understood my meaning speaks volumes about your character."  He stood and walked over to her.

Lina wrapped her arms around Xellos's waist.  "I do understand."

Xellos helped her out of her chair and kissed her forehead.  "May Ceiphied's light always shine upon you."

Lina nodded wordlessly and turned to leave.  As usual, Xellos had given her a lot to think about.

"Lina?  You might want to consider seeing what the morning has to offer.  Things often look far different when viewed by the light of the sun."  Xellos winked at her.  "Now, I'm off to the church.  I've a sermon to finish for tomorrow.  You will be there, won't you?"

Lina nodded again before walking out into the night…

************************************************************************

A long line of brightly painted wagons made their way through the forest.  The sun was setting behind the mountains, dragging the world into twilight.  As dusk swept over the land, the sounds of the forest faded as well.  The creatures of the night were reluctant to sing their songs just yet, preferring to wait for absolute darkness to announce their presence.

The sound of loud laughter emanated from one brightly lit wagon, shattering the silence of the twilight.  

Amelia wil Tesla Seyruun was a normally a very cheerful girl.  Right now though, she was frowning in concentration.  Her future was unfolding in front of her.  Well, if you believed Martina, anyway.  She stared into the crystal orb seeing nothing but shadows.  "Hey Martina, are you sure that you see all that stuff in there?"

Martina laughed.  "Of course!  See?"  She pointed to a seemingly random spot on the crystal ball.  "It says right there, that you have a great destiny ahead of you."

"A great destiny?" Amelia whispered.  "I wonder what it could be?"  She played absentmindedly with an elaborate gold ring hanging from a simple chain around her neck.  It had been a gift from her father before he passed away when she was a child.

Amelia was a dark haired beauty with piercing blue eyes.  She had a slim body that was finely toned from constant exercise.  Despite the fact that she was only sixteen years old, she was already by far the best acrobat in the circus.

"Ooh, now it's saying that soon you will meet your one true love.  How very romantic!"  Martina's eyes sparkled with barely contained joy.  "Oh, I'm so jealous of you, Amelia!"

Amelia blushed and giggled.  "Really?  My one true love?"  She looked into the crystal ball with renewed interest.  "Where does it say that?  How soon?"

"Amelia, don't tell me that you honestly believe in that stuff."  Amelia's cousin Alfred leaned against the wall of the wagon.  He grinned.  "That's just a load of poppycock to fool the rubes."

Martina shot Alfred a dirty look.  "Poppycock?  Listen, just because I don't see any romance in your future, doesn't mean that my powers of divination are false."  She looked him over with contempt.  "Actually, I'd say that my inability to see love in your future proves that my powers are real."

Alfred grinned.  "That hurts."

Martina snorted derisively and turned back to her crystal ball.   "Pay no attention to him, Amelia."

Amelia shook her head.  "I'm just having some fun Alfred."

"Whatever."  Alfred rolled his eyes and walked away.  He called over his shoulder, "You really should be practicing your routine for the show though."

"I know, I know.  I will in a second."  Making sure that Alfred's attention was somewhere else, Amelia looked into the crystal ball again.  She whispered to Martina, "What do you see now?"

Martina got a faraway look in her eyes as she gazed into the depths of her crystal.  "He's tall, fair skinned, with dark hair."  She looked at Amelia.  "This is amazing.  Usually the images are vague, but I'm really getting an excellent picture!  He's dressed in white and dashingly handsome."  She groaned in frustration.  "Oh, you get all the luck!  I can't divine anything about myself today."

Amelia looked out the window of the wagon dreamily.  She whispered, "A handsome man dressed in white.  He must be a gallant knight or a kindly priest."  She shook her head and giggled.  "I'm being stupid."  She knew that it wasn't true of course.  Nobody could really tell the future, after all.  "It sure would be nice though."

Alfred called out to her.  "Amelia, let's practice, shall we?  We'll be in Sairaag tomorrow and I want to make sure we're at our best."  He picked up some sticks and began to juggle them effortlessly.  

Amelia sighed and grabbed a handful of knives from a box of props in the corner.  She began to juggle these with an ease that came from years of practice.  She threw one at Alfred's head, which he deftly caught and began to juggle.

"So, you're going to find your Prince Charming, Amelia?"  Alfred grinned wryly as he threw one of the sticks to Amelia.  During the show tomorrow, they would be on fire. "Are you really going to give up the exciting life of a performer and settle down?" he asked teasingly.

"Of course not!"  Amelia threw one of the knives too hard and it went sailing over Alfred's head.  "Whoops!"

Martina screamed and ducked in the nick of time. The knife imbedded itself in the wall behind her.  "Hey, be careful you guys!"

Alfred chuckled.  "What's the matter, Martina?  Didn't your mystical powers warn you that was going to happen?"  He nodded at Amelia.  "Let's do two at a time now."  They began to throw objects back and forth simultaneously.

Martina bristled.  "My powers of divination do not concern themselves with such trivial matters."  She pulled the knife from the wall and tossed it to Alfred.

Alfred caught the blade easily.  "Thanks.  Oh, so instead of protecting your health, your 'powers' only show you 'important' things like love?"  He grimaced as he missed a catch.  "Oops, duck Martina."

"What?"  Martina turned towards Alfred just in time to be struck between the eyes by one of their torches.  "Ow."

************************************************************************

Zelgadis's eyes flew open.  Something was amiss.  He glanced around his chamber suspiciously.  He had sensed something just now.  Some power had touched his mind as he slept.  He yelled, "Zolf!"

Zolf came running out of the darkness carrying Zelgadis's white cloak.  "Master?"

Zelgadis glared at Zolf and snatched his cape from his servant's hands.  "Divination.  Someone has been spying upon me Zolf."  He flung his cape over his shoulders and fastened it as he quickly moved up the stairs.

"Are you sure, my lord?"  Zolf almost had to run to keep up with Zelgadis's long strides.  

"I'm no fool Zolf."

"What would you have me do, lord?"

"Find out who is doing it and inform me immediately."  Zelgadis pushed the stone door at the top of the stairs open effortlessly.

Zolf bowed low.  "Yes master.  Where are you going?"

"Out", was Zelgadis's terse reply.  An image of the mysterious priest flashed across his mind.  "There's an annoying fly that needs swatting."  There was the sound of rustling fabric as the wind caught his cape and then he was gone.

************************************************************************

"Hey cutie pie.  A pretty girl like you shouldn't have to drink alone."  A tall sweaty man wearing rough looking clothes took a seat next to Lina at the bar.  "The name's Rath."

Lina scrunched up her nose in disgust.  The man smelled like a sickening combination of cheap booze and vomit.  She sighed and took another swallow from her glass.  She forced a smile.  "Pleased to meet you, Rat."

Rath laughed uproariously and pounded on the bar with his fist.  "Rat!  That's a good one sweetie!  So, what's your name?"

Lina drained her glass and slammed it down on the bar.  She turned to Rath and sighed.  "I'm sorry.  Let's cut to the chase here.  Are you buying?"

Rath's eyes moved over Lina's body greedily.  "All night long, sweetie.  And that's not all I can do all night-"

Lina cut him off with a raised hand.  "Okay, that's lovely.  The name's Lina."  She called out to the bartender.  "Hey!  Two more down here and keep them coming!"  

"Lina?  That's a pretty name for a pretty lady."

Lina rolled her eyes.  Fine.  She could make nice if it meant free booze.  Fresh drink in hand, she turned back to her new companion.  "Aw, aren't you sweet?  So Rat, what's a charming fellow like you doing in a dive like this?"

Rath grinned uneasily.  "Uh, it's Rath.  Not Rat.  Okay?"

Lina took a sip of her drink and raised an eyebrow.  "Well?"

Rath shrugged.  "I reckon I'm doing the same thing you are sweetie."

"Oh?"  Lina grinned as she finished off her drink.  "And what's that, handsome?"

Rath smiled revealing that he was missing a couple teeth.  "Looking for some loving, baby."  He reached out and roughly caressed Lina's upper thigh with a greasy hand.

Lina blinked in feigned surprise and calmly put her glass down.  "You know, that's funny."  She reached into her cloak and pulled out a wooden stake.  Before Rath could move, she had slammed it down point first, pinning his sleeve to the bar.  Her eyes glinting with dangerous mirth, she said, "I'm looking for some parasites to exterminate.  You look like you might just fit the bill."

Rath's face had gone as white as a sheet as he looked at her.

Lina looked down in disgust.  She glared at Rath and hissed, "Get your god damn hand off my leg or I will."

"Yes ma'am!"  Rath snatched his hand back as if he had been burned.

"That's good, Rat."  With a grunt, Lina pulled the stake out of bar and secreted it in her cloak.  She picked up her second drink and nodded towards the door.  "Now, run away."

Rath fell off his stool in his haste to escape Lina's presence.  He crawled across the floor for a few moments, much to Lina's amusement, before reaching his feet and darting out the door.

Lina watched Rath depart with a mixture of humor and disgust on her face.  She looked around the room.  Apparently, everyone else in the tavern was pretty interested in what had just happened.  She shook her fist and yelled, "Anyone else want to try to cop a feel?!"

Everyone that had been staring at her suddenly found something else to occupy his or her attention.

Lina muttered, "Perverts", before turning back to the bar.  She knew that her actions just now had been incredibly stupid.  Slayers survived only because of the element of surprise.  Staking a guy to the counter just to prove a point was hardly subtle.  Still, he had deserved it.  If she hadn't had so much to think about, she would have followed him outside and kicked his ass too.  She looked up briefly, wondering if she could catch up to him.  She needed to blow off some steam.  Tonight had been nothing but one small frustration after another.

First of all, Xellos had given Lina that lecture.  Despite his good intentions, thinking about that kind of stuff while she was on the job could very well get her killed.  Couldn't he have waited until some other time when she wasn't working?  She chuckled, "Well, when would that be, stupid?"  Hunting was her life.  

Which brought Lina to her second problem.  She slammed her fist down on the counter in frustration.  There had been no clues tonight.  Her normal pattern of hunting involved picking up rumors in sleazy places like this about disappearances or strange occurrences, following up on them, and putting a bloody end to some beastie.  Tonight she had gotten absolutely nothing to work with.

Finally, there was the small matter that Gourry hadn't shown up.  She had told him where to meet her earlier in the evening, but he never came.  "Well, that's good", she muttered.  "He'd only get in your way you know."  She sighed sadly.  If that was true, then why did she feel so disappointed?  She muttered, "Gourry, you jellyfish."

Jellyfish had been a nickname for Gourry that Lina had come up with earlier in the day when Xellos gave her that lollipop.  It just clicked.  After all, Gourry's head was about as soft as a jellyfish's body.  It made sense.  She giggled at the thought and reached into her pocket.  Thinking of the candy had made her kind of hungry.  She frowned as she rummaged around.  "Did I lose it?  Ah, there it is!"  Something else fell out of her pocket as she pulled out the candy.  She looked at the lollipop for a moment.  "A jellyfish, huh?"  She popped it into her mouth with a grin.  She looked down and saw two small cards on the floor.  "What's this?"  She picked up the cards and read them aloud.  "Admit one to the Seyruun Family Circus.  Huh.  Where'd these come from?"

As Lina pondered this new mystery, two pairs of eyes observed her from a dark corner of the room.

************************************************************************

"Oh dear.  This won't do at all."  Xellos scribbled out a paragraph and started writing anew.  Inspiring Ceiphied's children had become harder and harder lately.  After all, he mused, they didn't really have much reason to be hopeful.  The government was rife with corruption and dark things stalked the streets after nightfall.  Hardly a positive environment for the average citizen of Sairaag.  

A slight breeze blew through the cathedral, causing the candles on Xellos's desk to flicker.  The room seemed to become a little darker and more ominous.  The priest heard the rustling of fabric at the back of the room.  

Xellos muttered, "Speaking of dark things…"  He grinned and called out over his shoulder, "My sermon isn't until tomorrow morning.  I'll thank you to leave me in peace."  He heard a sharp intake of breath and the quiet scraping of a shoe on the wooden floor.  He sighed.  Apparently, this one couldn't take a hint.  

Zelgadis took a cautious step towards the desk.  Despite all his efforts, somehow he had been detected.  Deciding that subtlety was out of the question, he strode up the aisle and called out to Xellos, "Learn your place, old man.  Do you know who I am?"  He flicked his cape over his shoulder and took a seat in the pew closest to Xellos.

Xellos continued to write, not even bothering to face Zelgadis.  "I'm sorry, Lord Greywords, perhaps I didn't make myself clear.  I'm quite busy at the moment and would appreciate it if you didn't bother me."  Finishing a paragraph, he finally turned to face his uninvited guest.  "Don't you even have enough manners to knock before barging into my church?"

Zelgadis laughed quietly.  "Your' church?  Xellos, surely you understand that the government controls all aspects of the church and I control the government."

Xellos stood and glared at Zelgadis darkly.  "I serve no government.  Especially one as dark as yours."

A sudden gust of wind blew out the candles that Xellos had been writing by.  The interior of the church was plunged into blackness.

Zelgadis leapt to his feet and drew his sword.  His sensitive eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, but the priest was nowhere to be seen.  He muttered, "How the hell?"

Xellos's mocking laughter seemed to come from all sides.  "Come now, Lord Greywords.  Surely you can do better than this."

Zelgadis tried to look everywhere at once.  The pews, the rafters, the alcoves.  There were so many places that the priest could be hiding.  He growled, "Are you a coward?  Come out and face me!"

Xellos's voice whispered into Zelgadis's ear.  "A coward?"  A quiet chuckle emanated from the darkness.  "I fear no creature that walks this world.  Not even one caught between light and darkness."

Zelgadis's eyes widened and he spun around.  The trickster was nowhere to be seen.  "How did you know that?  What's your game Xellos?"

"I don't play games Zelgadis."  Xellos melted out of the shadows behind Zelgadis, silent as a ghost.  With a quick sweep of his staff, Zelgadis was on his back.

Zelgadis quickly turned to grab his sword, which had fallen just out of reach, when he felt pressure on his throat.  He looked up to see Xellos, his eyes hidden by shadow, smiling at him.

Xellos put a foot on Zelgadis's chest and applied more pressure to the staff that was pressed painfully against Zelgadis's throat.  He glanced at Zelgadis's sword and smirked.  "How rude.  You're a guest in my home and you try to murder me?"

Zelgadis gasped for air.  "You're not human."  

Xellos chuckled.  "Oh my!  Isn't that a case of the pot calling the kettle black?"

Zelgadis grabbed the end of Xellos's staff and struggled in vain to relieve some of the pressure on his neck.  He spat, "What's your interest in Inverse?  Whom do you serve?"

Xellos laughed long and loud.  "Lord Greywords, do you think that this is some kind of interrogation?  I'd like to point out that you're the one on his back at my mercy."  He released Zelgadis and stepped back into the shadows.  "However, I'll alleviate your fears.  We have the same goals, you and I.  You could think of us as allies in a way."

"Yeah right!"  Zelgadis snatched up his sword and assumed a defensive stance.  "You expect me to trust you?"  He desperately tried to pinpoint the origin of Xellos's voice in the darkness.

"Whether you believe me or not is really up to you.  It makes absolutely no difference to me.  Now, I trust that you can show yourself out."

Zelgadis's sensitive ears twitched and he grinned.  Xellos's voice was coming from a place just to his left, a few feet away.  He turned and threw his sword like a javelin.  There was a satisfying thwack as it struck a humanoid shape in the shadows.  He muttered, "Got you Xellos."

Suddenly, the candles that had been snuffed out sprang back to life illuminating the room.

Zelgadis's eyes widened in shock.  Instead of the mysterious priest, his sword was buried up to the hilt in a life sized wood statue of Rezo the White.  He walked over to the wooden figure and pulled his sword free of its chest.  He whispered, "A small taste of things to come, father."

Crouched in the rafters of the cathedral, Xellos smiled.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Discoveries and new mysteries.  Lina meets the Slayers.

Notes:  Hmm, I liked this chapter.  Not too much action, but a lot of groundwork laid for the rest of the story.  I think that Martina and Amelia's part in the story should be interesting.  I hope so anyway.  Gah, I'm just rambling now.

Reviewer Response:

Pogo, I hope you enjoyed the Xellos part.  He's going to be in the background for the next couple chapters.

Miss Gabriev, I think I answered all your questions.  Well, no I didn't, but if I did, why would you keep reading?

CT, I think this chapter answered your question about Zel and Lina will be meeting Sylphiel under rather… unpleasant circumstances in the next chapter.  Hope you liked Amelia's part.

Masaki, Glad you liked the atmosphere.  I didn't know if I was doing a good job with it or not.  Regarding Sylphiel, at this point she doesn't have a huge part in the story, but since I've only done the rough outline of the story, her role might get bigger as I flesh it out.

Thanks for reading everyone.


	5. Light clashing with light

Gourry and Zangulus were making their last round on their new patrol route.  It had been a fairly uneventful evening, all things considered.  They had only broken up four bar brawls, two gang fights, and stopped one attempted murder.

"You know, this really isn't so bad."  Zangulus winced as he tried to staunch the flow of blood coming from his sword arm.  

Gourry blinked at Zangulus in surprise.  One of his eyes was bruised and almost swollen shut.  "You think so?"

Zangulus grinned smugly.  "Yeah, I honestly thought we'd be dead by now."  He nodded to a bench on the side of the road.  "Let's sit down for a minute.  I'm beat."  He shoved his way through the throng of citizens.  He muttered, "Excuse me", as he pushed past a heavyset man.  

The man looked at Zangulus with contempt.  "Bite me."

"Thank you, sir", Zangulus muttered sarcastically.  He flopped down on the bench with a grunt and sighed.  "So Gourry, what were you doing last night while I was being hoisted up a flagpole by a bunch of punks?"

Gourry smiled as he sat down beside Zangulus.  "Helping Lina."

"Lina?  You ditched guard duty for a woman?"  Zangulus chuckled.  "Well, I can't say that I blame you.  So, what's she like?  She doesn't have green hair does she?  Because you know how much I like that."  He elbowed Gourry in the ribs.  "I might have to steal her from you."

"No, her hair's red."  Gourry scratched his head.  "Hmm, I thought you met her.  You know, the girl that the headless guy was trying to bite a couple nights ago.  You remember, right?"  He nodded at Zangulus.  

Zangulus looked at Gourry uncomprehendingly for a moment.  "What?"  He groaned and slapped his forehead after figuring out what his partner was talking about.  "Oh no!  Not the psycho!  Gourry, are you nuts?!"

Gourry looked surprised.  "Hey, what's wrong with her?  She's pretty nice."  His brow furrowed in thought, he muttered, "Well, she hasn't exactly been nice to me, but I'm sure she could be if she felt like it."

Zangulus thought back to his only encounter with Lina.  She had yelled at him and then he had been flying through the air before landing in a pile of rotten fruit.  He grimaced.  "You're kidding, right?  She's weird Gourry, weird and crazy."

Gourry shook his head vehemently.  "No she's not!  She's-" He stopped in mid sentence and looked around cautiously.  He whispered, "You hear that, Zangulus?"

Zangulus cocked his head for a moment before shrugging.  "Not a thing."

"Exactly.  Something's not right."  Gourry stood and drew his sword.  The sound of steel rang out in the deathly silent night.

Moments ago, the streets had been packed with people.  Now, Gourry and Zangulus were the only ones left.  Silence hung in the air like a shroud.  The lights in the buildings along the streets were dark.

Zangulus rolled his eyes.  "For Ceiphied's sake, now what?"  He stood with a grunt of pain and drew his sword.  He hissed in surprise as he saw something up the street.  He whispered, "Gourry?"

Gourry whispered in return.  "Yeah?"  Somehow it didn't feel right to speak aloud.

Zangulus shuddered.  "What do you make of that?"

A large cloud of fog crept down the street towards the two guards.  Whenever it would overtake a street lamp, the light would dim momentarily and then be snuffed out completely.  Within moments, Gourry and Zangulus were knee deep in mist.

Gourry looked down at his feet, Or tried to anyway.  Just below his knees visibility dropped off completely.  It was like they were standing in a cloud.

Zangulus sniffed the air and made a disgusted face.  "Gourry, do you smell that?"

Gourry took a deep breath and the rich smell of a bog assaulted his senses.  He coughed and muttered, "It smells like a swamp."  But that wasn't quite it.  It smelled marshy enough, but there was something else there that he couldn't place.

Zangulus shook his head.  "No, it's more like meat that's gone bad.  What the hell is going on?"  He looked around cautiously.  Now the mist was up at waist level and the buildings a few feet away were nothing but shadows looming in the night.

Gourry's eyes narrowed as he stared into the fog.  He pointed at something a few feet away.  "Zangulus, look at that."

Not more than ten feet away, about a dozen dark shapes were moving through the mist.  The sound of slow, shuffling footsteps reached the guards.

Despite the fact that it had been a hot summer night, Gourry and Zangulus found themselves shivering.  The temperature had dropped several degrees in the last few moments.  They felt a sudden wave of terror wash over them.  Lesser warriors would have fallen to the ground weeping.  The two guards shuddered briefly before steeling themselves for combat.

Zangulus wiped the cold sweat off his brow and called out, "Who goes there?"  His normally strong voice was pitifully small in the night.

The footsteps stopped for a moment when the figures heard the challenge.  Then they resumed at a quicker pace.  The shapes quickly moved towards the guards.

Zangulus glanced at Gourry as he assumed a defensive stance.  "What in the hell is going on, Gourry?"

Gourry sighed and took a step towards the advancing shadows.  "I don't know."  He muttered, "Lina would know.  I'm sure of it."  Then he raised his sword as the first of the shapes came into clear view.

************************************************************************

Lina walked down a dimly lit alley, almost wishing that there would be some mugger or other unsavory type lurking in the shadows.  She needed to blow off some steam.  Sadly enough, the shadows seemed to be devoid of life this evening.  She muttered, "It figures."

"What's that?"

Lina spun around to find herself face to face with a grinning Zelgadis.  "Zel!  What are you doing here?!"

Zelgadis chuckled quietly.  "You know, for a Slayer you're embarrassingly easy to follow."  He shrugged.  "How you've managed to survive as long as you have is a mystery to me."

Lina rolled her eyes and muttered darkly, "Yeah, whatever.  So what brings you out here tonight, Mr. Personality?"

"Following up on my investment.  Do you honestly think that I'd throw that much money at you without seeing what you were doing?"  Zelgadis walked over to the side of the alley and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.  "I'm not stupid, you know."

Lina chuckled.  "What's the matter, Zel?  Did you think I was going to skip town with your cash?  I was raised better than that."

Zelgadis waved a hand dismissively.  "Never mind that.  Did you find anything yet?"

Lina sighed.  "This isn't an exact science you know.  I need a few days to get some idea of what I'm dealing with here.  Unless you've got some sort of lead for me, I suggest you leave me alone and let me work."  

Zelgadis shook his head and sighed.  "Work' Lina?  You see that's why I'm concerned."  He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose in disgust.  "When I pay someone to do a job, I expect them to do a little more than drag themselves to the nearest tavern and drink themselves stupid."

Lina glared at Zelgadis.  "Bye, Zel.  I'll be in touch."  She turned and continued on down the alley.

Zelgadis called after Lina.  "Children, Lina."

Lina stopped in her tracks and shuddered slightly.  "Go on."

Zelgadis walked up and fell into step beside Lina.  "Whatever it is, it hunts children.  People are getting nervous."

"I expect so."  Lina sighed shakily.  "You know, this information could have been brought to my attention yesterday."  She looked down to see her hands shaking again and quickly crossed her arms.

"I would have mentioned it last night, but your violent outburst distracted me."

Lina glanced over at Zelgadis's face and gasped.

Zelgadis cocked an eyebrow at Lina.  "Something wrong?"

Lina quickly shook her head and chuckled.  "I thought I saw a slug.  I can't stand slugs.  They're so icky and slimy, you know?"  She forced a laugh, hoping that Zelgadis would drop the subject.  Her mind was racing.  She was sure that she had broken Zelgadis's nose last night, but it appeared to be in perfect condition now.  

Zelgadis grinned.  "A slug, Isn't that strange."  His grin became a scowl as he eyed Lina suspiciously.  "Especially considering that it was apparently on my face, right?"

Lina paled slightly and shook her head.  "No, on the wall back there."  She slid her hand under her cloak to where she had her stake hidden.  "See?"  She nodded at the far wall of the alley.

Zelgadis refused to take the bait and continued to watch her silently.

"I guess I was wrong though."  Lina cleared her throat.  "Anyway, back to business.  Where have the kids been disappearing?"  She thought for a moment.  No normal human could have healed as fast as Zelgadis had.  That meant there had to be something supernatural about him.  Werewolf?  No, that wasn't it.  The moon was full and he was acting perfectly normal.  Besides he didn't have the excessive hair and vaguely animalistic features associated with werewolves.

Zelgadis shrugged.  "All over the city.  Whoever's been doing this has been moving around.  The Slayers haven't been able to figure out a pattern yet."

Lina's brow was furrowed in thought.  "Why hasn't the city guard been involved?"  Her mind raced as she tried to figure out Zelgadis's secret.  A vampire maybe?  She stole a quick glance at his face.  No bulges in the upper lip from the overdeveloped canines.  Besides, she had seen him eating and drinking in the tavern last night.  A vampire would have been ill if it was forced to consume normal food.  It had to be something else then.

"The guards know about the crimes, but they're just as lost as the Slayers at this point.  Besides, I'd rather you found the killer than the guards anyways.  Some of the crime scenes were rather… messy.  Runes formed with the entrails of the victims were found in some places.  Others just vanished.  It's strange."

"Runes?"  Lina nodded.  "Then I have to assume that it's blood magic."  She gave up on trying to figure out Zelgadis's secret for now.  It would require some research and she didn't want to make him any more suspicious than he already was.

Zelgadis smiled, revealing perfectly normal teeth.  "You are well informed, aren't you?  Yes, it's safe to assume that blood magic is involved.  A good reason not to get the guard involved.  We don't want to start a panic with the citizenry."  He sighed in frustration and crossed his arms.  "It's not normal rituals either.  I've seen some of the crime scenes.  Whoever is doing this is invoking some very high level powers in their rituals."

Lina's eyes widened in shock.  She whispered a name.  "Shabranigdo?"

Zelgadis spat on the ground in disgust.  "That's about right.  As you probably know, blood magic involves using the life force of an innocent to appeal for some boon from a dark power.  Usually, it's some minor demon like Mizenda or Seigram.  But sometimes-"

Lina cut him off.  "A powerful mage will try to use a higher up.  Someone like the Hellmaster or the Dark Lord himself.  But that doesn't really make any sense.  It's pretty dangerous to call upon the major powers like that.  For example, about a decade ago there was a priest by the name of Halciform who desired immortality-"

Now it was Zelgadis's turn to interrupt.  "And called upon the power of Hellmaster.  He killed twenty-eight before the ritual was over.  He ended up a living pile of entrails if I recall correctly."

Lina nodded.  "That's right.  Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

Lina and Zelgadis grinned at each other despite the dark subject matter and their personal dislike of one another.  It was refreshing for both of them to be able to hold an intelligent conversation without having to explain everything to the other party.

Lina thought for a moment.  "Alright then.  It's safe to assume that whoever is doing this is a fairly powerful individual."

"And cautious.  Nobody's seen anyone suspicious at any of the crime scenes."

"Something's bothering me Zel.  You say that this guy works at random, right?"

Zelgadis nodded.  "That's right.  There's been no discernable pattern since the killings began.  It's like he takes them on a whim."

"But that wouldn't make any sense.  For a ritual calling upon a higher power, you'd have to do most of your killing in one place to focus the energy.  And he's been committing murders all around the city."

Zelgadis trembled momentarily.  He muttered, "Maybe that is the focus."

"What's that, Zel?"

Zelgadis looked at her with a worried expression on his face.  "The city."

Lina quickly shook her head.  "No Zel.  That can't be right.  It would take hundreds of people to channel power into such a large area."

"That's just it, Lina.  Sairaag isn't safe.  It's never been safe.  People disappear all the time.  Maybe the killer's already done most of his work and the more noticeable killings are being done to finish the ritual."  Zelgadis's ears twitched as he heard footsteps behind them.  He glanced over his shoulder and muttered, "Damn it.  I'll see you later Lina."

"What's wrong?"  Lina glanced over at where Zelgadis had been a moment before, but he was already gone.  She whirled around to see two figures watching her from the shadows of the alley.  "What do you want?"

The two figures moved cautiously towards Lina.  "You're a Slayer?" one asked.

Lina placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.  "Yeah, that's right.  Who's asking?"

One of the figures flung back the hood of her cloak to reveal a female face framed by a wild mane of purple hair.  "Surely you've heard of the two greatest Slayers in Sairaag, Mimi and her sister Nene."  The other woman threw back the hood of her cloak to reveal a face identical to the first.

Lina muttered, "Oh hell."  She took a cautious step back.  "I can't say that I have.  Sorry."  She forced a laugh and continued her slow retreat.  "Well, it's getting pretty late.  Nice to have met you and all that.  Goodbye."

Undeterred, the sisters advanced on Lina.  

Nene pulled a short staff from under her cloak.  Both ends were sharpened and she twirled it with the skill of a master.  "You know the church's policy on rogue Slayers?"

Lina sighed deeply and drew her sword.  "Yeah, yeah.  Leave the service of the church and face a death sentence.  Can't have your dirty little secret getting out, right?"

Before she had died, Luna had told Lina that it was forbidden to teach the skills of a Slayer to an outsider.  Rogue Slayers were considered to be a danger to the secrecy of the Eternal Twilight and were supposed to be put to death on sight.  Despite this decree, Luna couldn't stand the idea of her only sister being defenseless and had taught Lina everything that she knew.

Mimi unhooked a folding fan trimmed in silver from her belt.  "What we do, we do for the good of the people."

Lina snorted.  "Lying to them you mean.  I'm sure that the people really appreciate all that you do for them when they become some monster's snack."  She assumed a defensive stance and made one last attempt to avoid violence.  "Listen, we do the same work and I'd hate to have to kill you."  She put on what she hoped was a magnanimous smile.  "So, why don't you girls walk away and forget that you ever saw me?"

Nene darted to Lina's left, obviously intending to flank her.  She thrust at Lina's abdomen with the point of her staff.

Lina casually batted the blow aside with the flat side of her blade.  "Does that mean no?" she asked with a playful grin.  She lunged forward and punched Nene in the face with her left hand.  She tried to avoid feeling satisfied as she felt bone splinter under her knuckles.  She muttered, "That's one" as she watched the woman crumble to the ground unconscious.

Mimi's fan was a blur of silver as she struck at Lina.  Her blow cut through cloth and drew a thin line of blood across Lina's back.

Lina gasped in pain and quickly parried a second strike aimed at her neck.  Mimi was obviously a little more skilled than her sister.  She snarled, "You're pretty good when you're hitting someone from behind."  She made a couple of quick slashes, intending to disarm Mimi.  Unlike these two, she had no intention of killing fellow Slayers.

Mimi deflected these strikes with ease and continued her assault.  Somewhere in midst of the melee she pulled out a second fan and began to attack with that as well.

Lina was hard pressed to keep up with her attacker.  She fought off a wave of dizziness as she deflected Mimi's strikes.  Was she really losing that much blood?  Or was there some poison on the fan?  Either way, she was in trouble.  She yelped in pain as another of Mimi's strikes got through her defenses.  Now she was bleeding from the left thigh. She'd have to end this quickly.  She feinted low, forcing Mimi's fans down.  A quick flick of her sword and Mimi was suddenly missing a couple of fingers on her left hand.

Mimi watched in horror as the fan fell from her maimed hand.  She turned her uncomprehending gaze upon Lina and mouthed a simple question.  "How?"

"Sorry about this."  Lina gritted her teeth and swung the hilt of her sword into the side of Mimi's head with a sickening crunch.

Mimi collapsed in a heap next to her sister.

Lina struggled to catch her breath as she turned from her fallen opponents and made her way up the alley.  She tried to sheath her sword, but found it to be far too heavy to lift.  Somehow, it had become a hundred pounds heavier in the last couple moments.  Deciding that it wasn't worth the effort, she just let it fall from her grasp.

The sword clattered loudly as it came to rest on the alley floor.  The full moon was reflected in the highly polished blade.

Lina noted with interest that the moon was blood red.  Or was it just blood on the sword?  She briefly considered looking up to see, but decided that it wasn't really that important.  She abandoned her weapon and continued up the alley, leaning heavily on the wall for support.  If she passed out here, she would bleed to death for sure.  She had to make it to the street.  It wasn't much further.  Ten feet maybe?  It was hard to tell.  Everything was getting blurry.  With a last effort, Lina flung herself into the lane landing in front of a passerby.  She looked up and tried to reach out to her potential savior.  "Please… help…" The last of her strength spent, she slipped into merciful unconsciousness.

Sylphiel Nels Lahda had been on her way home from feeding the homeless at the shelter when the bloody girl had stumbled out of the alley.  She put her hand to her mouth and whispered, "Oh my."  The girl lying in the street before her was in bad shape.  She bent down and gingerly slung the smaller woman's arm over her shoulder and lifted her up.  Thankfully, she was even lighter than she looked.  Sparing a quick look down the alley to see if there was any immediate danger, Sylphiel quickly moved down the street towards her house.  The young lady needed help immediately.

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Something moved in the passageway with the two fallen Slayers.  The giggle of a child, horribly out of place amidst the carnage of the alley, split the night.

"My, my.  Isn't this intriguing?"  Phibrizzo stepped out of the shadows with a wicked grin on his face.  "Tonight must be my lucky night.  Two for the price of one."  He gazed down, almost lovingly, at the two unconscious women before him.  He kicked one of them roughly, rolling her onto her back.

A medallion of Ceiphied glinted defiantly up at Phibrizzo from around Mimi's neck.

Phibrizzo recoiled in utter revulsion for a moment.  He muttered, "Well that certainly won't do."  Something dark flickered behind his eyes for a moment and the medallion began to glow bright red.  

A moment later, liquid metal rolled down Mimi's neck, scalding her.  She moaned in pain.

Phibrizzo laughed.  "That's much better!"  He pulled a rusty blade from his pocket and smiled at the two unconscious women.  "Well ladies, I don't have all night.  Let's get to work, shall we?"  And he did.

Standing atop a nearby chimney, Xellos gazed down into the alley, unseen by Phibrizzo.  He watched the childlike monster work his perverse magic with an inscrutable expression on his face.  He glanced up at the blood red moon and frowned.  The hour was growing late and they would soon be out of time.

A sudden gust of wind roared through the alley and the Hellmaster, now elbow deep in Mimi's entrails, looked up at a chimney across the street.  He had felt something, but…  Shrugging, he went back to weaving his tapestry of blood.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Tales of dead men and crimson skies

Notes:  Wow.  I'm really on a hot streak right now.  I've actually gotten three more chapters done in the last 3 days.  But you don't get them yet.  Sorry, I'm trying to pace myself a little here.  So, please don't hurt me if I don't consistently update every two days, alright?

Anyone else like Phibrizzo?  He's been a lot of fun to write.  I wanted to make the villains in this story really nasty and I hope that it's coming off well.

Reviewer Response:

Miss Gabriev, you dug Xellos, huh?  Sorry for the short appearance in this chapter, but I promise that he'll have an extended scene in the chapter after next.  Said scene was easily one of my favorites to write so far, so I hope you like it.

Pogo, Amelia falling off the high wire?  I can't do that!  I need her for the rest of the story!  And the Gaav thing was a really impressive bit of inspiration.  I was struggling to find someone that could reasonably intimidate Zangulus as captain of the guard.  It was actually the trench coat that made me think of Gaav.

Zaber, Xellos a Mazoku?  I'm afraid that I have no idea what you are talking about.  He's simply Xellos, mysterious priest!

CT, why does everyone think that Xellos is a Mazoku?  As I told Zaber, he's a mysterious priest.  And of course a priest would be writing sermons!  Jeez, you guys talk like Xellos isn't normal or something…

Thanks for the encouragement Slayers Otaku-Girl.  I intend to do just that.

Thanks for reading! 


	6. Mystery of the mist

Lina was standing in the burnt out ruins of her old home.  Something was wrong though.  The timbers were still smoldering and the thick scent of smoke threatened to gag her.  She coughed roughly as she looked around.  This didn't make any sense.  After she'd escaped she'd gone immediately to Xellos's house and spent a week there.  She never came back to the house until two nights ago.

A melodic voice called out from somewhere in the rubble.  "Lina…"

Lina trembled at the sound of that voice.  She whispered, "Sis?"  

There was the quiet sound of something shifting in the rubble.  

Lina's eyes widened.  Luna was still alive.  She had a chance to save her sister.  She immediately ran over to the source of the noise and began to haphazardly fling debris over her shoulder.  "Hold on Sis!  I'm coming!"  Flipping back a heavy piece of the fireplace she gasped in horror at what was revealed.

The nightmare that had been Luna Inverse rose from the ashes.  Two bloodshot eyes glared at Lina from a pale gaunt face.  Her once beautiful plum colored hair was matted with dried blood.  In the same sweet voice she called Lina's name again and reached for her.

Lina shook her head and moaned in fear.  She rolled onto her back and immediately wished that she hadn't as she felt a hot lance of pain rush up her spine.  "Ow…" she mumbled.  A nightmare?  Where was she?  What had happened to her?  She struggled to recall the events of the evening.  There had been the tavern, and then Zelgadis.  After that, the two Slayers had attacked her.  Had she died?  No, she hurt way too much to be dead.  So what had happened then?

Deciding that she needed more information to figure that out, Lina cautiously opened her eyes to reveal a dark room.  Pale pink moonlight spilled into the chamber from an open window.  Moonlight?  That meant that it was nighttime.  She was sleeping in the dark!  Her eyes darted around the room and confirmed her worst fears.  A menacing figure was right next to her bed making horrible growling noises.  She screamed and sat up, holding up her arms to ward off any danger.  "No, no, no!"  

"Huh?" was the figure's quick-witted reply as he was startled out of his doze.  There was a crash as the stool he had been sitting on tipped over.  He stood up and reached out to Lina, grabbing her arms.  "Lina, stop!"

Lina shook her head and thrashed about still screaming "No!" repeatedly at the top of her lungs.  Her worst fear had come true.  After four years of vigilance on her part, the creatures of the night had finally caught her sleeping on their time.  She shrieked in terror when the figure grabbed her arms.

A dark haired woman appeared in the bedroom doorway holding a lantern.  "Gourry dear, what's happening?"

The figure called over his shoulder.  "It's alright Sylphiel."

Lina stopped thrashing about.  The woman had spoken a familiar name.  Her eyes brimming over with tears, Lina cautiously looked up into the face of her supposed attacker.

Gourry's face, illuminated by the dim light of Sylphiel's lantern, stared back at Lina.  He smiled warmly and whispered, "Are you okay, Lina?"

Lina collapsed against Gourry's chest and cried.  She trembled uncontrollably as he put his arms around her.  "Gourry, I was so scared and it was dark, and I'm really scared of the dark, and I thought… I thought you were…"  An image of Luna flashed across her consciousness.  Her body was wracked by sobs, and she was unable to continue.

Gourry whispered into Lina's ear, "It's okay, Lina.  I won't let anything happen to you."  He rocked her back and forth while gently stroking her hair, trying to calm the terrified girl down.

Zangulus limped into the room, his sword drawn.  "What's going on?  I heard screams."

Sylphiel lowered the lantern slightly and looked away.  It hurt to see Gourry hugging this other girl.  She muttered, "It's alright Mr. Zangulus.  She was just having a bad dream.  You need to get some rest."  She turned to help Zangulus back to his bed, sparing one last pained glance at the two embracing figures.  She gasped when she saw a splotch of red spreading across the back of Lina's nightgown.  "Oh dear."  The girl's struggling had reopened her wounds.

Lina eyed Sylphiel nervously as she approached the bed carrying a pair of scissors.  She whimpered Gourry's name and held him tighter.

Gourry looked at Lina's back and grimaced.  Fresh blood stained the simple gown she was wearing.  He cupped her face in his hands and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.  "It's alright, Lina.  Sylphiel's going to help."

"Sylphiel…" There was something familiar about that name, Lina thought.  That was it.  She was Gourry's girlfriend.  She reluctantly released her hold on the swordsman and let her hands drop limply to her sides.  She forced herself to look at the dark haired woman.  She was as beautiful as Lina had feared.   She mumbled, "You saved me, right?"

Sylphiel nodded as she measured and cut a length off cloth off a roll.  "That's right, Miss Lina.  Arms up please."

Lina did as she was told and Sylphiel pulled her nightgown up to reveal the bloody mess that was her back.  

Sylphiel shook her head and sighed.  "Oh dear.  This might sting a bit."  She applied some alcohol to Lina's back, eliciting a hiss from the younger woman.  "Sorry about that."

Lina looked down at the scars crisscrossing her exposed abdomen, then up at Gourry who was staring pointedly at the wall.  She covered herself as best she could and she felt tears of shame welling up in her eyes.  Of course Gourry was disgusted.  After all, she was hideous.

Sylphiel finished her ministrations and eased Lina back down to a prone position.  She favored the Slayer with a warm smile.  "Take it easy now, Miss Lina.  You'll be fine in a few days if you don't exert yourself."  She picked up her lantern and began to leave.

"Um, Sylphiel?" Lina whispered almost ashamedly.

Sylphiel stopped and turned back to the bed.  "Yes?"

Lina flushed red in humiliation.  "Will you… Will you leave the light, please?"  She knew how childish her request must have sounded.

Sylphiel smiled indulgently.  "Of course."  She walked back over and set the lantern on the bedside table.  "Better?"  She turned to Gourry and laid a hand on his shoulder.  "Gourry dear, let her be.  She needs to get some rest."

Gourry shook his head.  "It's alright Sylphiel.  I think I'll stay up with her a while longer."  He smiled at Lina and took her hand.  "That is, if you don't mind?"

Lina shook her head mutely.  She actually would have complained if Gourry had left.

Sylphiel stared at Gourry for a moment.  "Oh."  The shadows concealed her pained expression.  "Goodnight, then."  She quickly retreated from the room, almost knocking Zangulus over as she passed him in the hallway.

Lina looked down and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Gourry blinked at her in surprise.  "For what Lina?"

Lina opened her mouth to speak.  She wanted to apologize for being so weak in front of him, for complicating things between him and Sylphiel, for being a burden upon him, but most of all, for treating him so badly.  She muttered, "For… I don't know.  Everything I guess."

Gourry grinned and waved dismissively.  "Ah, you don't have to apologize Lina.  My life's been pretty exciting since I met you."

Lina looked up at Gourry's face and noticed his black eye for the first time.  "Gourry, what happened to you?"

Gourry touched his bruised face gingerly.  "Oh, this?  It was just work."  He noted the concerned expression on Lina's face and shook his head.  "I'm fine.  You need to get some sleep, okay?"

Lina shook her head fiercely. "I don't sleep at night, Gourry.  It's not safe."  She had to admit that the bed was awfully comfortable though.  

Gourry scratched his head.  "Not safe?  Why is that Lina?"

Lina sighed and fluffed her pillow.  "You jellyfish.  Don't you remember what I do?"

"Um, you exterminate pests, right?"  Gourry grinned.

Lina opened her mouth to protest but decided that she was too tired to argue.  She muttered, "Yeah, Gourry.  Pests.  And they only come out at night."  She fought to keep her eyes open.

Gourry shook his head and wondered briefly why Lina was afraid of rats.  "Is that all?"  He winked at her and whispered, "Don't worry Lina.  I'll protect you."

Lina nodded drowsily, already well on her way to unconsciousness.  She yawned and muttered, "You promise that won't let anything get me?"  

Gourry nodded.  "I promise."

Lina briefly considered trying to stay awake, but surrendered to exhaustion.  It was safe here.  Nothing was going to get her as long as Gourry was standing guard.

Seeing that Lina was asleep, Gourry smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.  He sighed.  There would be no rest for him after what he had seen tonight.  He scratched his head.  "But wasn't I asleep before?  Hmm."  Well, now he'd made a promise.  So no more sleeping tonight.

Zangulus's voice drifted into the room from the hall.  "You didn't ask her, did you?"  

Gourry made a shushing motion and pointed angrily at Lina.  He stage whispered, "She's sleeping."

Zangulus frowned as he limped into the room and walked over to the window.  He gazed out the window and muttered darkly, "Well, I'm glad someone can sleep."  He drummed his fingers on the windowsill for a moment.  "What happened tonight?"

Gourry shook his head.  "I'm not sure.  Lina will know though.  I'll ask her when she wakes up."

Lina sighed, "Ask me what, Gourry?"  She rolled over onto her side and began to snore quietly.

Zangulus walked over to the bed.  He whispered, "See?  She's awake!  Ask her!"

Gourry shook his head and shushed Zangulus again.  "She's just talking in her sleep.  Lower your voice."

Zangulus threw his hands up in frustration.  "For the love of…"  

Gourry held up a warning finger.

Zangulus rolled his eyes and hissed, "Fine.  Gourry, she just asked you what your question was!  She's not asleep."  He watched Lina snore for a moment.  "Well, she wasn't a minute ago.  Wake her up and ask her!"  He reached out to shake her shoulder.

Gourry grabbed Zangulus's hand and shook his head.  "Leave her alone, Zangulus.  She's hurt.  It can wait until morning."

Lina murmured, "Quiet please.  Sleeping."

"No it can't!"  Zangulus pointed at the crimson moonlight spilling through the window.  "You ever stop to think that there might not be a morning?!"

Gourry glared at Zangulus.  "Lower your voice!"

Lina groaned in frustration and put her pillow over her head.  She mumbled, "Guys, please shut up…"  The two arguing guards ignored her request.

"You're yelling too, Gourry!"

"Yeah…"  Gourry thought for a second.  "Well it's only because you are!"

Lina sat up and screamed, "Will everyone please SHUT UP!"  She proceeded to mercilessly beat Gourry over the head with her pillow, as he was the only one within striking distance.  "What in the hell is the matter with you people?!  I'm trying to sleep!"  Deciding that the pillow wasn't doing enough damage, she looked around for something else to punish her protector with.  Her eyes lit up when she spied something on the bedside table.

Gourry's battle hardened instincts kicked in and told him that now would be an excellent time to make a strategic withdrawal.  He swiftly dropped to his hands and knees and crawled out of Lina's reach.

Zangulus grinned triumphantly as he watched Gourry scramble under a table for cover.  "See Gourry?  I told you that she was awake!"  He was suddenly struck between the eyes with a thrown drinking glass.

Lina glared at Zangulus and hissed, "Of course I'm awake!  How could I possibly sleep with you guys screaming at each other?"  She massaged her throbbing temples and muttered, "What's the problem anyway?"  She gave Gourry a murderous look.

Gourry held up his hands to block any further attacks from Lina.  He thought hard for a moment before blurting out, "Well Lina, it got really foggy and the dead invisible guys attacked us until the moon turned red."

Lina's anger faded instantly and was replaced by complete befuddlement.  She nodded slowly, a quizzical expression on her face.  "Okay.  Right.  That was very helpful.  Thank you Gourry."  She turned to Zangulus and raised an eyebrow.  "Translation please."

Zangulus was leaning against the wall, rubbing his nose.  He shrugged.  "Well actually that made about as much sense as what happened.  We were finishing up our rounds for the night when it got really foggy."

Gourry interjected.  "Don't forget the invisible dead guys, Zangulus."

Zangulus muttered, "Yes, I'm getting to that part Gourry.  Anyway, the streets were empty and it got really cold.  That's when it happened."  He shuddered briefly.  "They came out of the fog."

"Who came out of the fog?" Lina snapped impatiently.

"Dead men."

Lina blinked.  "Dead men?  How do you know that they were dead?"

Zangulus had a worried smile on his face.  "Because I recognized a couple of them."  He glanced at his partner.  "Remember Mad Matt, Gourry?"

Gourry nodded solemnly.  "The crazy guy from a few weeks ago, right?"

Lina looked at Gourry nervously.  Mad Matt must have been pretty bad if Gourry remembered him.  "Hmm.  Maybe you only thought you killed him?"  She glanced back and forth between the guards.  "You think that's a possibility?"

Zangulus snorted.  "When I finished with him, they had to carry him to the morgue in two bags.  I'm pretty sure he was dead.  He wasn't the only one either.  I recognized a few criminals I had collected back in my bounty hunting days."

"Okay, I believe you.  They were dead."  Lina sighed nervously.  "So, what did they do?"

"They came out of the fog and attacked us.  It was weird though.  It was like they weren't really there.  Instead of moving through the fog, it seemed like they were a part of it.  You could see through them."  Zangulus shook his head.  "It doesn't make any sense."

"And that's how you guys got those?" Lina asked, eying the guards' injuries.

Gourry shook his head.  "Uh-uh.  They couldn't touch us and we couldn't touch them.  They disappeared after a while."

Zangulus nodded as he looked out the window.  "Yeah, and then that happened."

Lina yelped in surprise as Gourry gently scooped her up in his arms.  He carried her over to the window so that she could look out into the night sky.  "Oh boy", she muttered.

The city was bathed in red light, making it appear as if the dark buildings were smeared with blood.  The crimson moon hung overhead in the night sky.  As the three of them watched, it began to pulse rhythmically, sometimes growing brighter, sometimes dimmer.

"Well, this looks like it's going to be a lot of fun", Lina muttered sarcastically.  "Take me back to bed Gourry."  After getting comfortable she looked to Zangulus and then Gourry.  "Well, goodnight."  She rolled onto her side and curled up under the blanket.

Gourry grinned and took his seat next to the bed.  He pulled her blanket a little higher over her shoulders and whispered, "Goodnight Lina."

Zangulus stared at Lina and Gourry incredulously.  "Goodnight?  Aren't you going to tell us what in the hell's going on?!"

Lina yawned.  "No idea.  And there's no sense in worrying about something that I don't understand yet."  She closed her eyes and tried to block out the extremely irritating sound of Zangulus's voice.

Zangulus sputtered, "But, I don't understand it and it's worrying me!"

Lina sighed.  "Well that's your problem isn't it?  Goodnight."

"But…"

Lina's gritted her teeth and her voice took on a dangerous tone.  "I said goodnight."

"But…"

Lina rolled her eyes and growled, "What part of 'goodnight' don't you understand?!  Gourry, where's my sword?"

Zangulus took a nervous step back almost tripping over a stool.  "Well I guess it is kind of late.  Goodnight."  He hastily limped out of the room.

Gourry looked around the room briefly.  "I don't know Lina.  I don't think you had it when Sylphiel brought you in."

"Didn't have it?  Damn it."  Lina rolled onto her back and groaned in frustration.  "It's back in the alley with those two girls.  Or it was a while ago, anyways.  Who knows what pawn shop it ended up in?"

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In the hours just before dawn, the brightly painted wagons of the Seyruun Traveling Circus rolled up to the gates of Sairaag.

A short man in poorly fitted armor stepped out of the guardhouse.  He looked at the man driving the horses of the lead wagon.  Tall, medium build, brown hair and a moustache.  Well, he didn't look like a criminal.  Supposedly, the guards were supposed to inspect all wagons entering the city after dark, but he decided to let this one slide.  He'd seen too much weirdness for one night and there was no way he was going to search twenty wagons this close to quitting time. "Papers?" he said in a bored voice.  

Christopher produced the necessary traveling papers and handed them to the guard.  "Having a long night, friend?"

The guard spit something green into the grass and chuckled.  "Hell yeah.  I tell ya, you see all sorts of weird crap in this line of work.  As if the weirdos weren't bad enough, now the weather's actin' up."  He nodded up at the pale pink moon, barely visible as the dawn approached.

Christopher looked up and nodded.  "There's something you don't see everyday, huh?"

The guard laughed.  "You got that right.  Whole world's going to hell in a hand basket if you ask me."  He flipped through the sheaf of pages disinterestedly and handed them back to Christopher.  "Everything seems to be in order, buddy.  Festival grounds are straight ahead.  Center of the city.  Can't miss 'em.  Enjoy your stay in Sairaag."

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Phibrizzo whistled a cheerful little tune as he walked down the cobblestone street.  It had been an excellent night and was shaping up to be an even better day.  Things were moving along at a quicker pace than he had ever anticipated.  He didn't know why mortals hated living in Sairaag.  He found it to be charming in a rustic sort of way.  He closed his eyes and stretched out his consciousness to feel the pulse of the dark city.  It's inhabitants.

On a street corner, a merchant had just opened his produce stand for the day.  The Hellmaster knew that his fruit was overpriced and overripe on top of that.  The merchant was a greedy miser, but that was okay because, unbeknownst to him, someone had just stolen his coin purse.

Grinning wickedly, the Hellmaster turned his attention to a married couple out for a morning stroll.  The man was cheating on his wife with her sister, but that was okay too.  She was planning to kill him and live off his wealth.  The real joke was that he had lost all his money gambling a few nights before.

Phibrizzo chuckled as he came back to himself.  He continued to skip cheerily down the lane, pondering the wonder that was Sairaag.  The real beauty of the city was that nobody gave a damn about anybody else.  If you hear a scream in the night walk faster because it's not your problem.  A lovely attitude to have in Phibrizzo's ever so humble opinion.

A tired voice drifted out of a nearby alley.  "Spare a silver young man?"

Phibrizzo stopped in his tracks and looked at the bum by the side of the road the way a spider looks at a fly.

In an instant, the bum's life history flooded into the Hellmaster's mind.  He sensed that this one was a good person.  A former chef by the name of Ashford.  Apparently, the old fool had run his restaurant into the ground by giving too generously to the church and feeding one too many of the downtrodden.  Instead of upsetting Phibrizzo, it pleased him to no end that this man's good deeds had rewarded him in such an appropriate way.

Phibrizzo thought for a moment and chuckled.  He said, "Why as a matter of fact I do have some jewelry that I don't need anymore, Ashford.  Would you like that?"

The bum nodded eagerly.  "Anythin' you can spare young man.  I'd surely appreciate it."  A moment later, Phibrizzo's statement sunk in.  "How'd you know my name boy?"

Phibrizzo sighed and rummaged around in his pocket.  "Oh, you needn't worry about that.  Ah, here it is!"   He pulled a small object out of his pocket.  "There you go, old timer."  He winked and tossed the object onto the old man's lap.  "Don't spend it all in one place now."

Ashford smiled gratefully.  "May Ceiphied bless you my boy!"

Phibrizzo's grin disappeared and his childlike features briefly twisted into a mask of hatred.  He snarled, "Don't mention it", before slipping into the crowd.

Ashford looked down into his lap and gasped.  The simple gold ring was beautiful in a modest sort of way.  The severed finger wearing it was not.  The man screamed and threw Phibrizzo's generous gift into the gutter.

Phibrizzo looked over his shoulder and giggled.  "Honestly, you give someone what they ask for and they're still not happy.  Oh well."  Something in the street caught his eye.  "Hello, what's this?" he muttered.

A train of circus wagons was slowly making its way down the lane.

Phibrizzo grinned and sat down cross-legged on the side of the street.  He rested his chin on his hands in an innocent way and watched the wagons go past.  "The Seyruun Family Circus" he muttered, with just a hint of a smile on his face.  "I think I'll see the show tonight.  Maybe I'll play some games and win a stuffed bear or something."  His face lit up.  "Oh, and cotton candy!  I've got to get some cotton candy!  And maybe a candy apple!" he said as he clapped his hands excitedly.  "And the children" he whispered eagerly.  "I can't wait to play with all the children."  He scrambled to his feet and ran off in the same direction as the wagons.

************************************************************************

Next chapter:  Lina takes a day off.

Notes:  Kind of short this time.  Also, a whole lot of exposition without any action.  I promise that will be rectified in the next few chapters.  All in all, liked the Gourry/Lina bit.  Everything else was decent.  But I'm not here to review my own stuff.  That's your job!  By the way, I figure now is as good a time as any to tell you that we're headed into R rated stuff.  Probably already have, but anyways I've upped the rating.

Reviewer Response:

Thanks for the compliment Dolphin!  How's the Slayers E-mail story coming?

Thanks Miss Gabriev.  Phibrizzo's been a blast to write.

Pogo, I've up to chapter 9 now, and mostly I'm just waiting on my overworked beta reader.  I'm glad you like the more "shades of gray" than "black or white" approach I took to the story.  There will be more of that in the upcoming chapters.

Colin, complex huh?  Complex is good.  Convoluted isn't.  Tell me if I ever cross the line between the two.

Zaber, how can I refuse a request like that?

Otaku Girl, sorry about the confusion, but Xel isn't Zel's dad.  Take another look at what he hit with the sword in chapter 4.  Also you'll see how Lina got the tickets in chapter 7.

Liltingtune, I'm glad to have you aboard on one of my stories.  I've loved a lot of your stuff, as you've probably read in my reviews.  Couple of questions for you:  Did you ever finish reading Slayers: Revival and are you ever going to finish Lovely Lina the Songbird?  Loved that one.

Thanks for reading!  And a special thanks to my overburdened and under appreciated beta reader, Boo-san! 


	7. Drawn together by destiny

"No!  Absolutely not!"  Lina, clad only in soapsuds from the bath she had just been in, backed away from Sylphiel.  She stared daggers at the older girl, her face a bright shade of red.  "There's no way!  I refuse to do this!"

Sylphiel chuckled nervously and advanced on Lina.  "Now Miss Lina…"  She ducked a soapy sponge that Lina tossed at her head.  "Please don't make a scene.  You don't want anyone to hear, do you?"  She smiled reassuringly.  "I'm sure you'll love it if you give it a chance."

Lina quickly darted to Sylphiel's left, trying to make it out the door but was even more quickly cut off.  She shook her head angrily as Sylphiel continued to back her into a corner.  "I told you, I'm not into that!  I have absolutely zero interest in…"  She stared at something that Sylphiel was holding with a disgusted expression on her face.  "…that thing!  Besides, there's no way that it's going to fit!  It's way too big!"  

Sylphiel shook her head, starting to become impatient.  "Miss Lina, it fits me just fine."

"I don't wanna!" Lina protested.  Taking another step back, she slipped on a bar of soap and landed roughly on her back.

Sylphiel took the opportunity to pounce upon the fallen Slayer.  She pleaded, "Miss Lina, please hold still.  You might hurt yourself if you struggle."  After a brief tussle she managed to subdue her slippery target.  

Lina winced in pain.  "Ow!  It's too tight!"

"Just relax.  It stretches.  See?"  Sylphiel leaned back and admired her handiwork.  "Oh Miss Lina, that is absolutely adorable on you!"

Lina sat up and glared down at the shirt that Sylphiel had just forced over her head.  It was a pink nightmare, covered with pictures of sickeningly cute kittens.  On top of that, it had short sleeves.  She hated short sleeves.  She crossed her arms and whined, "But it sucks!  Don't you have anything that's not so girly?"

Sylphiel giggled.  "But Miss Lina, it matches your eyes perfectly.  Here, let me fix your hair."  She moved around behind Lina and sat on the floor.

Lina sighed in resignation as Sylphiel began to run a brush through her hair.  "Fine.  I still don't see what's wrong with my clothes."

Sylphiel smiled indulgently as she brushed Lina's hair.  She spoke slowly as if explaining a complicated concept to a small child.  "Miss Lina, your clothes are covered in blood and grime and torn on top of that.  You can have them back when I finish washing and mending them.  Until then you can borrow some of my old stuff.  Really, I don't mind."

Lina winced in pain as Sylphiel hit a particularly large tangle in her hair.  "Ow.  But Sylphiel," she whined, "How am I supposed to strike fear into the heart of evil in a shirt with kittens plastered all over it?"

"With the matching skirt too!" Sylphiel pointed out cheerfully.

"A skirt?"  Lina looked down at the scar tissue that marred her long legs and shook her head.  "Uh-uh.  I am not going out in public in a skirt!" she said with a huff.

"Oh?  Why not?"  Sylphiel finished combing Lina's hair and set the brush aside.  She grabbed a pair of scissors and began to trim the redhead's unruly tresses.

Lina slumped as she heard the snipping of the scissors.  She pouted.  "Because I'm ugly."  She muttered under her breath, "And you're not helping by scalping me either."

"Ugly?"  Sylphiel chuckled.  "Where did you get the idea that you were ugly?  You're beautiful."  She felt a twinge of jealously but quickly shoved it aside.  It wasn't right for her to feel jealous.  Miss Lina had had a far worse life than Sylphiel ever could have imagined.

"Am not", Lina said crossly.  "See?"  She held up her arms for Sylphiel's inspection.  "And these."  She raised one of her legs and wiggled her toes.  She muttered, "And that's not even the worst of it."

Sylphiel looked at Lina's arms and legs.  Lina had very pale skin and the marks that she was fussing over were barely visible.  She smiled reassuringly.  "You can hardly see those.  It's not that big a deal."

"Yeah, maybe not to you", Lina muttered darkly as she looked herself over.  She cleared her throat nervously.  "So, you don't mind that I'm going to borrow Gourry today?"  She squeaked in surprise when Sylphiel's scissors grazed her ear.  

Sylphiel chuckled.  "Sorry about that Miss Lina.  My hand must have slipped.  Of course I don't mind if you take dear Gourry with you.  I wouldn't want you to go to the circus by yourself and I have to work today."  She leaned back and admired her handiwork.  "Perfect!  Miss Lina, take a look at this."  She handed Lina a mirror.

Lina whimpered when she saw what Sylphiel had done to her hair.  She had shortened it by several inches, much to Lina's dismay.  She pouted and thought evil thoughts about Sylphiel.  It was time to put her foot down.  She was not going to be wearing short sleeves when she met Gourry today.  And she most certainly was not wearing a skirt, she decided.

************************************************************************

Lina tried her best to disappear behind Gourry as they wandered through the fairgrounds.  In addition to wearing the kitten-patterned shirt and skirt combination, Sylphiel had also forced a pair of white sandals, some earrings, and even a little perfume on her.  She smelled faintly of strawberries.  

Gourry looked down at Lina and smiled, causing her to try to hide every bit of exposed flesh on her body.  "You look really nice today.  Hey, are you alright?"

Lina was huddled behind Gourry's large frame, staring nervously at all the other circus goers.  Why was it so damn crowded?  She looked up at her companion and whined, "Gourry, this was a big mistake.  I want to go home, okay?"  

Because the fairgrounds were in such close proximity to the high church of Sairaag, the plan had been to spend the day at the circus, mingling in the crowd to avoid raising suspicion, and then break into the church library after dark.  Lina was certain that the answers that she needed would be in there.

Gourry looked at Lina and smiled.  "What's wrong?  Do you feel bad?"  He put a hand on Lina's forehead to check her temperature, much to her annoyance.

Lina faked a cough and rasped, "Yeah, that's right Gourry.  I'm not feeling well.  So maybe we should go, alright?"

Gourry frowned.  "That's too bad, Lina."  He reached over and scooped her up in his arms.  "Well, let's get you home and in bed."  He began to make his way through the crowd towards the entrance.  He called out rather loudly, "Excuse me.  Pardon me.  She's not feeling well."

Lina looked at all the people pointing at her and Gourry, a look of absolute horror etched on her face.  She whispered, "Put me down Gourry."

Gourry continued to politely push his way through the crowd.  "Excuse me ma'am.  Thank you.  Sorry about that."  He looked down at Lina's reddening face.  "Lina, did you say something?"

Lina shrieked, "You are not carrying me home!  Put me down you jellyfish!"  She began to kick wildly, struggling to free herself from Gourry's arms.  "I've never been so embarrassed in my life!"

Gourry observed Lina for a moment.  "Lina are you alright?  You're getting all red in the face."

Lina snarled at Gourry through gritted teeth.  "I… feel a lot better Gourry.  Now put me down."

Gourry set Lina down with a grin on his face.  "That's good.  Now we can see the show."

Lina nodded, trying to figure out the best way to punish Gourry.  Violence was definitely out of the question, as there were far too many witnesses.  She put on a sweet smile.  "Okay Gourry.  The show's not starting for a while, so why don't we check out some of the souvenir stalls?"  If she couldn't hurt him physically, she'd hurt him financially.

Gourry nodded looking around.  "Okay.  Let's see.  Souvenirs, souvenirs.  Hey, that looks pretty interesting!"  He grabbed Lina's hand and dragged her through the throng towards a booth.

A short blond haired man stood atop the booth and was calling out to the crowd.  "Step right up folks!  Feast your eyes on the Mountain of Manliness, the Tower of Power, the Duke of Destruction.  Good people, I bring to you the 'Demon Beast' Zanafar!"  He pointed at a huge man standing in a makeshift wrestling ring set up in front of the booth.

Zanafar easily stood seven feet tall and was almost obscenely muscular.  Light blue tattoos depicting dragons snaked around his massive arms.  He glared around at the masses of spectators huddled around and flexed his muscles menacingly.

"Now folks, the rules are quite simple.  For the low price of five silvers you get to wrestle against Zanafar in this very ring for five minutes."

Lina and Gourry pushed through to the front of the crowd.  

Lina muttered sarcastically, "Look Gourry.  It's a suicide booth."

"Land a blow on the Demon Beast and win a stuffed Zanafar doll!"  The man running the booth held up a surprisingly cute stuffed version of Zanafar.  "Last the whole five minutes and win a stuffed Zanafar and a one day unlimited pass to any of the Seyruun Family Circus's other fine attractions!"  He chuckled.  "Beat Zanafar and win a purse of 100, yes I said 100, gold pieces!  Come on folks!  Any takers?"

Gourry whistled.  "Wow.  He's pretty big, huh Lina?"  He pulled five silver coins out of his pocket and made his way over to where the booth owner was sitting.

Lina nodded slowly, unable to take her eyes off of Zanafar.  "I'm almost certain that I've seen smaller bears.  Hmm, Gourry?"  She looked around, noticing for the first time that her companion was missing.  She saw him step into a ring across from Zanafar.  She yelled, "Gourry, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Gourry saw Lina waving and gave her the thumbs up.  He turned to his opponent and removed his shirt to reveal a finely muscled body.  He took a moment to stretch before nodding to Zanafar.  A bell rang and the two opponents charged one another.

Five minutes later, Lina was waiting impatiently while Gourry negotiated heatedly with the booth owner.

The owner grumbled and handed Gourry a Zanafar doll and a circus pass.  "I still say that I shouldn't have to pay because you didn't know enough to tap out.  I thought everyone knew that."

Gourry gave the man a pained grin.  "Yeah, well I guess you should have thought of that before you made the challenge, huh?"  He turned to Lina and limped over to her triumphantly.  "Here you go, Lina," he said as he handed her the Zanafar doll.

Lina cuddled it briefly and said, "Thanks Gourry."  She fell into step beside Gourry and they walked through the crowd in silence for a moment.  She opened and shut her mouth several times, trying to decide if she should talk to Gourry or not.  Finally, she cleared her throat and said, "You know Gourry, I was trying to tell you to tap-"

Gourry cut her off, "I know Lina."

Lina chuckled nervously and looked Gourry over.  "I mean, that guy had your heel touching the back of your head.  I just thought-"

Gourry was starting to sound a bit hysterical.  "I know Lina!  Can we talk about something else?!"

"Oh alright, you big grouch."  Lina covered her mouth, struggling to suppress her giggles.  She looked around at all the game booths and food stalls.  She had to admit, this was kind of fun.  She grabbed Gourry's arm and pointed at something.  "Oooh, Gourry what's that stuff?"

Gourry looked at where she was pointing and grinned.  "Cotton candy, Lina.  Don't tell me that you've never had cotton candy before."

Lina hopped from foot to foot excitedly.  "Well I will after you buy me some, won't I? Come on!"  She dragged Gourry forcefully through the crowd towards the cotton candy vendor.

************************************************************************

Standing in the shade of a colorful tent, Zelgadis Greywords sought temporary refuge from the scalding sun overhead.

Zelgadis looked up at the midday sun and scowled.  He adjusted his mask and pulled his hood a bit farther over his face.  Only the most pressing of circumstances would force him out in the afternoon like this, but after what had happened last night, he wasn't taking any more chances.  Between Xellos, almost getting caught by those Slayers, the strange lunar event, and having someone spy upon him through magical means; his plate was pretty full right now.  He wondered briefly if his father had anything to do with it, but quickly dismissed the idea.  

If Rezo had suspected anything, Zelgadis would have already been dead.

At least one thing had gone right, Zelgadis mused.  Zolf had discovered that the person who had spied upon him was somewhere in this circus.  Now there was just the small matter of tracking the person down.

Zelgadis was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of a familiar voice.  He looked up just in time to see an enthusiastic Lina dragging a protesting Gourry through the crowd.  He took a quick step back to avoid getting bowled over by the couple.

Zelgadis cocked an eyebrow as he watched Lina vanish into the crowd.  He was surprised to see that she had survived her encounter with his father's Slayers.  He was even more surprised to note what she had been wearing.  "Kittens?" he muttered, the beginnings of a grin pulling at the corners of his lips.  He repeated his question.  "Kittens?!"  He threw back his head and laughed.  Something about the idea of a violent girl like Lina wearing a kitten print outfit struck him as incredibly funny.

Wiping away a mirthful tear, Zelgadis's normal scowl settled back into place.  Lina was here.  That meant that she had some sort of agenda.  He pondered for a moment, before nodding.  Of course.  The church.  Lina was going to break into the church library.  It's what he would have done, had he been in her situation.  She really was quite intelligent, he reluctantly admitted as he slipped into the crowd and followed her.

************************************************************************

Amelia made her way through a crowd of people outside the main tent.  She needed a quick break before the show started and decided that the best place to take said break was in Martina's tent.  Somehow, she always managed to find the coolest spots to set up shop.  

Spying Martina's black tent in the distance, Amelia grinned and broke into a swift trot.  She threaded her way through the crowd effortlessly.  She'd been doing so all her life.  Suddenly, a tall figure loomed in front of her and she was unable to stop before colliding with him.  It was like running into a brick wall.  She fell on her butt gracelessly and looked up at him.

The hooded figure growled, "Why don't you watch where you're going?"

Amelia smiled.  "Sorry about that mister."

Zelgadis stared down at her for a moment before offering her his hand.  He muttered, "I'm sorry about that.  Are you hurt?"

Amelia took his hand and was immediately pulled to her feet.  No, I'm fine.  It really was my fault.  I should have been watching where I was going."  She dusted herself off and nodded at him.  "Enjoy the show."

Zelgadis nodded and watched her dart off into the crowd with the same reckless abandon as before.  Why had he been so polite to her?  She was obviously an airhead.  He sighed.  Maybe he would stay for the show.  After all, Inverse was likely to as well.

************************************************************************

Phibrizzo grinned and muttered, "Bang".  

As if on cue, a little boy's balloon popped.  He looked crestfallen for a second and began to cry.

Phibrizzo rolled around on the ground giggling madly before getting himself under control.  He wiped away a tear and said, "Oh, I haven't had this much fun in a millennia.  I love a good circus."

A sudden gust of wind whipped across the fairgrounds.  As suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

Phibrizzo nodded at another child's balloon.  "Bang."  He grinned and spoke to the figure that had just appeared beside him.  "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up.  How long has it been Xellos?"

Xellos leaned against the wall next to Phibrizzo and muttered, "Not nearly long enough."  He watched Phibrizzo's sport for a moment and sighed, "I'm sure you find this to be terribly amusing don't you?"

Phibrizzo looked over at another child and grinned.  "Bang.  Oh, I got two with that one!"  He scanned the crowd briefly before turning to the priest.  "Nah, not really.  I'm just killing time until some idiot leaves a toddler unattended."

Xellos glared at Phibrizzo darkly.  "Charming as always, Hellmaster."

Phibrizzo shrugged as he continued to watch for stray children.  "Well, you know.  I try to be.  By the way, do you like the new body?"  He raised his arms and twirled around once.  "I don't know why I never thought to possess a child before.  Nobody would ever suspect a cute widdle boy like me."

Xellos frowned.  "I think you've hit a new low with this one.  Was he some poor orphan boy you found?"

Phibrizzo grinned at Xellos wickedly.  "He was as soon as I found a knife.  His parents were disappointing, really.  I got the father first.  Then his mother wouldn't even run or put up a fight.  Stupid woman."

Xellos muttered, "I can't imagine why."  He imagined the pain and sadness that the woman must have gone through as her child betrayed her.  He shook his head.  "It probably pleases you to know that it hurts my soul to even be around you."

Hellmaster nodded.  "It does.  Ah, here we go!" he muttered excitedly as he spied a sniffling young girl who had become separated from her mother.  He rubbed his hands together eagerly and said, "You want to watch Xellos?  You might learn something."  He looked over his shoulder at where the priest had been a moment before.  He frowned when he saw that Xellos was gone.  "Spoilsport," he mumbled as he turned his attention back to his prey.  His eyes widened and he snarled, "Oh, you son of a bitch!"

Xellos was carrying the girl in the crook of his arm.  He smiled at her and asked, "What's your name precious?"

The little girl smiled shyly as her tears stopped.  She whispered, "Kira."

"Kira?  That's a pretty name."  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy.  "Do you like grape Kira?"

Kira nodded happily.  "It's my favorite."

Xellos chuckled.  "I thought that it might be."  He glanced over his shoulder and threw Phibrizzo a mocking wave.

Phibrizzo responded with words and gestures that no normal ten year old would know.

Xellos grinned at Kira.  "What do you say we go find your mother, Kira?"

Just then, a woman pushed her way through the crowd.  "Kira!  Oh, thank Ceiphied!"  She pulled the girl out of Xellos's arms and hugged her tightly.  She looked at the priest gratefully.  "Thank you very much."

Xellos shook his head and frowned at the woman.  "Watch her carefully," he said while glaring at Phibrizzo.  "Someone far less kind than I might find her next time."

************************************************************************

"Hey!  Coming through!  Make way!"  Lina fought her way down to some empty seats halfway up the stands.  She looked around for a minute before seeing Gourry.  She jumped up and down and waved.  "Gourry!  Down here, Gourry!"

Gourry looked out from behind a particularly large pile of snacks and prizes.  He waved at Lina, almost dropping his nachos.  He sighed.  Of course she would pick a spot in the middle of the row.  He carefully made his way down to where she was seated.

Up in the highest part of the tent, Xellos was comfortably seated on a thin support wire.  He glanced around the big top until his eagle eyes came to rest on Lina.  She was pointing at something excitedly while talking to her blond haired companion.  He chuckled.  "Found your 'candy' did you?  Good for you Lina."  He had hoped that she would use the tickets he had slipped into her pocket last night.

"That's so sweet."  Phibrizzo appeared next to Xellos, a wicked grin on his face.  "Is that one your new pet, Xellos?"  He shaded his eyes with his hand as he examined Lina.

Xellos scowled and quickly looked away from Lina.

"She's a cute one, huh?  I'll enjoy killing her.  Tell you what; since you're apparently attached to this one, I'll save you a few pieces.  Call it a souvenir, if you will.  Let's see, what would be appropriate?  A lock of hair, maybe?  Or maybe her nose, since she seems to stick it into other people's business?"  Phibrizzo smacked his fist into his palm and grinned.  "I know!  Her eyes.  She has very pretty eyes.  Don't you think so Xellos?"  He chuckled and vanished into the shadows.

Xellos shook his head sadly.  His foolish coddling of Lina had almost certainly sentenced her to a slow painful death.  He had no doubts that Phibrizzo would kill her as soon as possible now that he knew her identity.

************************************************************************

Lina was talking excitedly to Gourry as they left the tent after the show.  "…And that thing that the one girl did, the flipping in midair thing, I've done that before!  It didn't work out quite as well, but I did end up getting the vampire in the end."

Gourry nodded contentedly, happy to see Lina happy.  "That's great Lina.  So what was your favorite part of the show?"

"Oh, that's a toughie."  Lina scratched her head before bursting into a fit of giggles.  "I know!  The clowns!  The ones juggling the knives and torches.  I thought it was really funny when they almost set fire to the tent.  They were so convincing!"

Gourry grinned nervously, not quite as sure that the jugglers had meant to hit the side of the tent with a torch.  "Well, I'm really glad you had a good time, Lina.  So what were we supposed to do next?"  He vaguely remembered Lina saying something about some books earlier in the day.

Lina cocked an eyebrow at Gourry.  "You're not saying that you're ready to go, are you?"  She pouted, "But we haven't done everything yet!"

Gourry chuckled.  "Uh, Lina?  Aren't we supposed to go read some books or something?"

"Later Gourry!  See?"  Lina pointed at the setting sun.  "It's not even dark yet.  We can't break into the church when it's still daytime."  She glanced around the fairground eagerly.  "Let's see…"  Her roving eyes caught sight of a fortuneteller's tent.  "Ah, that looks like fun!  Come on Gourry!"  She dragged Gourry over to the tent.

************************************************************************

The interior of the infamous fortuneteller Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova's tent was unique to say the least.  In the center of the floor, a small wooden table was set up with a black cloth covering a round object that was sitting on it.  Along one side of the tent, several small animal skulls hung over a small shelf containing vials of spices and incense.  Scattered about the tent were several heavily scented candles.  The smell of several different types of incense hung heavily in the air.  All in all, it was a very creepy atmosphere.

Martina sighed as she absentmindedly worked on her fingernails.  This stop had been so boring so far.  Only four people had been in all day and they had all left in a huff when she predicted disaster in their futures.  She pouted, "It's not my fault that they all have dark destinies."

"Hello!"

Martina squealed in surprise and went tumbling off of her stool.  She muttered, "Ow," as she picked herself up off the floor rubbing her head.  She looked up to see a smiling redheaded girl and an extremely handsome blond hunk standing in the entrance.  She smiled.  Customers!

"Welcome to the mysterious and enigmatic lair of Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova!"  Martina bowed deeply.  "How can the Mistress of Mysteries serve you on this fine evening?"

Lina muttered to herself, "Mysterious and enigmatic?'  Don't they mean the same thing?"  She shrugged and grinned at Martina.  "If you can see the future, you must know why we're here, right?"

"Of course I do!"  Martina walked over to the table in the middle of the room and removed the dark cloth from atop her crystal ball with a flourish.  "You're here because you want the great riddles of the universe unraveled!  You want to peer through the mists of the future!"  She sat down at the table and lit a couple more candles.  "And how do I know this?" she asked dramatically.  She shrugged, "Because it says 'Fortuneteller' on the sign out front and you don't look like you're illiterate."

Lina grinned and shrugged.  "Can't argue with that logic.  You go first Gourry."  She grabbed Gourry's arm and shoved him forcefully into the chair opposite Martina.

Gourry looked at Lina anxiously.  "I'm not sure about this…"

"Oh, come on Gourry!  It'll be fun!  Don't you want to know what's going to happen to you tomorrow?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure that I'll sleep in and be late for work.  I don't need a fortuneteller to know that."  An angry glare from Lina silenced Gourry.  "Alright," he muttered.

Martina held out her hand and coughed politely.  "Two gold pieces, please."

"Oh right."  Gourry reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.  "Here you go."  He gave Martina the unlimited pass he had won earlier in the day.

Martina looked at it distastefully and groaned in frustration.  "You got this from Randy didn't you?  He gives these things out like candy."  She sniffed and gave the card back to Gourry.  "Very well, give me your hands, good sir."  She took Gourry's hands and gazed into her crystal ball.  "Strange.  Very strange," she muttered.

Gourry nodded seriously.  "I see…"

Lina bonked Gourry on the head.  "Jellyfish!  She hasn't told you anything yet!"

Gourry grinned sheepishly.  "Oh.  Right."

Martina ignored their bickering and continued to gaze into her crystal.  "There are many hard trials ahead of you.  You are a very brave soul, but courage will not be enough to see you through.  It will take something more."

Amelia poked her head into the tent.  "Hey Martina!  I just got done and… oh."  She stopped when she saw that Martina was working.  She quietly slipped into the tent and stood beside Lina.  "She's really quite good you know," she whispered to the redhead.  "Lots of people think she's a fake, but she's rarely wrong."

Lina nodded.  "I believe it.  I've seen far too much strangeness to be close minded about this kind of stuff."  She looked at Amelia and grinned.  "Hey, you're the girl from the show right?  I loved the bit where you pretended to set the tent on fire!"

Amelia chuckled nervously recalling the look Alfred had given her when she missed that catch.  "Yeah, that was a good one, huh?"

Zelgadis slipped quietly into the tent and stood behind Lina.  He threw back his hood and pulled down his mask in the comfortable gloom.  He watched Martina work with a quizzical expression on his face.  This was definitely the same power that he had sensed before.  But why had this woman spied on him?

Martina came back to herself and blinked confusedly.  Instead of the two people in the tent when she had left, now there were four.  She recognized Amelia, but the other one…  She pointed at Zelgadis and exclaimed, "The lover!"

Lina and Amelia turned to look at Zelgadis and spoke simultaneously.  "The lover?!"

Zelgadis snorted and nodded at Martina.  "The scryer."  He blinked.  "Wait a second.  Did you just call me 'the lover?"

Martina nodded eagerly.  "You're the lover I saw in Amelia's reading!  I'm sure of it!"

Amelia looked at Zelgadis skeptically.  Sure he was handsome, but he didn't seem terribly friendly.  She whispered, "My true love?"

Zelgadis's ears twitched and he blushed slightly.  He coughed nervously and quickly pulled his mask up to cover his face.  "Um, right."  

Lina looked at Amelia and then back at the visibly embarrassed Zelgadis.  She grinned and winked.  "Zelgadis, you sly dog you."

Amelia scrutinized Zelgadis, much to his discomfort.  Could someone like this really be her true love?

"So that's why you were spying on me?" he asked Martina, pointedly ignoring Lina's comment.  He stole a quick sidelong glance at Amelia.  She was still eying at him curiously.  He quickly turned his attention back to Martina.  "Well?"

Martina shrugged.  "I wasn't spying on anyone.  I was doing a reading for Amelia.  That's all.  Next please."

Lina looked at Martina.  "Excuse me?"

Martina nodded.  "I'm done with your boyfriend's reading.  Don't you want me to do yours now?"

Lina blushed and muttered, "Well, I wouldn't call him my boyfriend or anything," as she took the seat that Gourry had just vacated.  She gave Martina her hands and waited.

Martina seemed to stiffen slightly as she took Lina's hands in her own.  Her eyes slid closed, her head drooped, and her breathing slowed.

Lina whispered, "Hey, uh, are you asleep?"

"So what do you do?" Amelia whispered to Zelgadis.

Zelgadis looked at her nervously for a moment.  "Government work."  He coughed.  "Listen, uh, Amelia was it?"  He gestured towards Martina.  "You don't honestly believe in all this stuff do you?"

Amelia quickly shook her head and chuckled.  "No, of course not!  I just thought that it was interesting that Martina thought that she recognized you."

The room was plunged into darkness as all of the candles in the tent went out simultaneously.  They sprang back to life a moment later, shedding an eerie blue light on the interior of the tent.

Zelgadis's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room suspiciously.  The hairs on his arms were standing on end, as the air seemed to almost crackle with magical energy.

Martina's eyes shot open and seemed to look through Lina.  She spoke in a cold monotone.  "Lina Inverse.  Death claimed your family.  Your parents.  Your sister."  

Lina's eyes widened in shock.  "What did you say?!"  She struggled to snatch her hands away from Martina, but her grip was like iron.

Martina continued.  "Now it hangs about you like a shroud, caressing all that cross your path.  Your enemies, your companions, none are safe from you and the death you carry with you."

Lina shrieked, "Let me go!" as she struggled against Martina.

Zelgadis put a hand on Gourry's shoulder to keep him from interfering.  "Let her finish."  There was something more than Martina making this prediction.

"You willingly deal death to the creatures of the night.  Lina Inverse, soon the death that you so freely mete out will fall upon one of your own.  A beloved companion will die by your hand."  Her prediction complete, Martina released Lina and collapsed onto the table.

There was a moment of stunned silence in the tent as everyone looked at Lina.

Amelia whispered, "She's going to kill a loved one?"

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Next Chapter:  Demons and revelations

Notes:  How was that for a cliffhanger?

That was a long one.  I liked this chapter a bunch.  The Xellos/Hellmaster confrontation was a blast to write.  I also loved the Lina and Sylphiel scene and all the Gourry and Lina stuff.  My only problem was the circus itself.  I wanted to describe the show, but I felt that it would be useless filler in an already long chapter.  So it got the ax.

Reviewer Response:

CT, I loved the L/G part too.  You saw the A/Z part and look for M/Z in the next chapter.

Pogo, you're right about Phibby.  He's going to be the big villain for the first part of the story.  Yes, I said the first part.  If things go as planned, Phibby's part in the story is only going to be the first third of the overall story.  And now my poor beta reader has everything up to chapter 9.  Sorry about that, Boo-san!

Miss Gabriev, you are NEVER going to forgive me for _Slayers: Revival_ are you?  More Phibby you say?  Shazam!  Your wish is granted.  The next couple chapters have heaping portions of the Hellmaster.

Zaber, did you just threaten me with Mazoku lovin'?  Brrr!  I'm really more into the girls you know?  So if you must unleash a Mazoku on me, could you make it Zelas or Dolphin?  Thanks!

Until next time peeps!


	8. Shadow of the past

Long moments passed, as everyone in the tent stared at Lina.  She could feel their eyes boring into her back and leaned on the table, covering her head with her arms defensively.  Her eyes were brimming with tears as she shivered uncontrollably.  She whispered, "It can't be true."

Gourry stepped forward and put a reassuring hand on Lina's shoulder.  "Lina, what's wro-"

Lina shrieked, "Don't touch me!" and shrugged his hand off angrily.  She whimpered, "Just… stay away from me alright?  Don't even look at me."  She stared at the tabletop, as if even glancing in Gourry's direction might be lethal to him.

Gourry frowned and reluctantly stepped back from Lina's side.

Martina blinked sleepily and sat up.  She took in the scene around her warily.  She noted that everyone in the tent was staring at her except for the redhead, who had her head on the table and was quietly sobbing.  She chuckled, "Umm, is something wrong?"

All at once, everyone had surrounded her and was bombarding her with questions.

Gourry glared at Martina.  "What did you do to Lina?"

Martina shook her head.  "I don't kn-"

Zelgadis grabbed Martina's shoulder and asked, "When's it going to happen?"

"When's what going to happen?" she asked confusedly.

Amelia chimed in.  "Who's she going to kill?"

"Kill?  What?  Everyone be quiet!" Martina yelled.  "I don't remember reading her future, so I have now idea of how, when, or why whatever is going to happen is going to happen!"  She took a shaky breath and tried to stand.  It felt like her entire body had fallen asleep.

"You really don't remember anything Martina?"  Amelia asked as she helped her friend to her feet.  "That thing you did was really spooky."

Zelgadis crossed his arms and scowled.  "That was strange, what I felt when you focused your attention on me felt like a slap on the wrist compared to what you exhibited just now."

"Could someone please explain what's going on?" Gourry asked as he stared at Lina.  "Did Lina do something wrong?"

"No, it's alright.  She didn't do anything." Amelia explained to the clueless swordsman.

Zelgadis snorted.  "Well, not yet anyway."

Amelia glared and pointed accusingly at Zelgadis.  "Mr. Zelgadis!  That's mean."

Zelgadis found something interesting on the ceiling to look at.  He muttered, "Sorry."

Lina sighed.  "Forget it."  She stood up, a fierce look of determination upon her face.  "I've got work to do."  She moved towards the entrance of the tent without as much as a backwards glance.

Gourry grinned "Alright!  That's better!"  He moved towards the entrance, intending follow Lina out.

"Don't follow me, Gourry.  I work alone."  Lina looked down at the stuffed toy in her hand.  Zanafar's cute scrunched up features stared back up at her.  Gourry had won that for her what seemed like a lifetime ago.  "Here," she said tonelessly as she tossed the toy to the swordsman.  "Sylphiel will probably like that."  

"Lina…"  Gourry reached out to stop Lina from leaving.

Lina snarled at the swordsman.  "I said don't touch me, Gourry!  What are you, stupid or something?"  She immediately regretted her words when she saw his hurt expression.  She muttered, "Sorry," as she turned and strode purposefully out of the tent.

Gourry looked down at the toy sadly.  He looked around at the others in the tent, desperately hoping for some explanation of Lina's actions.  None of the others could quite bring themselves to meet his pained gaze.

************************************************************************

Phibrizzo leaned up against the side of the central pavilion, intently watching the entrance to Martina's tent.  When Lina came storming out he grinned.  "There's my toy," he snickered.  He started to follow the young woman when the entrance of the tent opened again to reveal a man clad in white.  

As Phibrizzo watched, Zelgadis melted into the shadows as he followed Lina.  "You're special, aren't you?" he whispered, noting the way that Zelgadis moved with unnatural grace through the crowd.  "How curious," he muttered as he took another step in the direction that Lina had gone.

Suddenly, the tent flap opened again.

Phibrizzo muttered, "Is this the damn clown tent or what?  How many people are in there?"  He ducked behind a cotton candy stall and watched as a tall blond man and dark haired girl ran in the direction that the other two had gone.  "Anyone else?" he growled before stepping out from his hiding place and running off into the twilight.

************************************************************************

Lina stood in the middle of the street for a moment as she gazed up at the huge statue of Ceiphied standing before the church.  Although this was the central church of Sairaag, it also doubled as the capitol building.  Seeing as the church pretty much was the government, this made sense.

The statue of the Flare Dragon easily stood forty feet high.  Its granite wings were proudly spread and the dragon's mouth was open in a triumphant roar.  Beneath Ceiphied's mighty talons, a serpent was coiled, frozen in its death throes by the sculptor.  A bronze plaque adorned the front of the statue.

Lina read the words on the plaque although she knew them by heart.  Luna had been a devout follower of Ceiphied and had insisted that Lina do the same.

_When darkness falls, walk in the light of my wisdom._

_When your heart is heavy, take comfort in my strength._

_Where evil grows, smite it with my courage._

Lina pondered the words for a moment before shaking her head.  There was no comfort here.  She heard footsteps behind her.  She sighed, "Gourry, I told you to leave me alone.  Please don't make this any harder for me."

Zelgadis chuckled.  "Harder for you?'  I thought that you were a heartless Slayer."  He stepped up beside Lina and looked up at the capitol building towering over them.  It made the statue of Ceiphied look miniscule by comparison.  He nodded.  "Planning to break in, huh?"

Lina nodded.  "That's right."

"Well, we're wasting time just standing here.  Let's go."  Zelgadis ran forward a few steps before easily leaping over the ten-foot high fence surrounding the church.  He flipped in midair and landed gracefully on the other side.  He looked over his shoulder at Lina and smirked.  "Coming?"

Lina shook her head and muttered, "Showoff."  She took a quick look around to make sure that there were no witnesses before climbing up and over the fence.  She dropped silently to the ground beside Zelgadis.  "You should be more careful."

Zelgadis cocked an eyebrow.  "Oh?  Why is that Lina?" he asked as they cautiously made their way towards the entrance to the building.

"I might kill you," Lina said quietly.

Zelgadis waved dismissively.  "You mean that woman's prophesy?  I'm not worried about that."

Lina looked at Zelgadis hopefully.  "Then you don't believe it?"

Zelgadis chuckled.  "Did I say that?  No Lina.  I sensed that woman's power.  I believe wholeheartedly that you'll be fulfilling that prediction one way or another."  

Lina frowned.  "Thanks a bunch, Zel.  That makes me feel a lot better.  So why are you hanging around if you think that the prediction is true?"  She quickly darted up the front steps of the building and hid in the shadow of a statue of Rezo the White.

Zelgadis grinned.  "Well, I'm hardly a 'beloved companion' am I?  Hold on a second."  He pulled a key out of a satchel on his belt and unlocked the front door.  Taking a quick look around inside he motioned Lina forward.

Lina watched Zelgadis cautiously as they entered the church.  Apparently, he had far more secrets than she had originally suspected.

************************************************************************

Zangulus scanned the thinning crowd and groaned in frustration.  Lina and Gourry had left for the circus before he awoke that morning.  Despite his worries, somehow he had managed to fall asleep just as dawn was breaking.  When he woke up, the girl with the answers was gone.  He walked up to a young man who was packing up some props.  "Excuse me; have you seen a stupid swordsman recently?"

Alfred glanced at the sword on Zangulus's belt, then at the confused expression on the man's face.  He asked, "Is this a trick question?"

"Trick question?" Zangulus mumbled before getting Alfred's meaning.  "Oh, that's very funny," he said sarcastically.  "This would be a tall blond man.  He might have been with a short tempered, violent red haired girl."

Alfred grinned mischievously.  "Just a little joke.  As a matter of fact, I did see a redhead go into Martina's tent over there.  You might want to ask her."  

"Thanks."  Zangulus made his way over to the black tent.  He poked his head inside and called out, "Hello?"

Martina looked up from where she was lighting some candles on the table.  It seemed kind of late to be getting customers, but money was money, right?  She grinned and gestured dramatically at the crystal ball on the table.  "Welcome good sir, to the mysterious and enigma-" Her breath caught in her throat as she got a good look at the customer.  She blushed.  "Oh my!"  

Standing before Martina was a tall, handsome, dark haired man.  He was wearing a dark brown cloak with a sword at his side.  Atop his head he wore a large brown hat that kept his handsome face partially hidden by shadows, making him look incredibly mysterious and cool.

Martina quickly sat down at the table and motioned the man over.  "Please sit!  The mists of the future aren't going to part themselves you know!"

Zangulus shook his head.  "I'm sorry Miss…"

"Martina!  Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova!" she answered eagerly.

"Um, right, I was just wondering if-" Zangulus forgot what he was going to ask as he looked at the woman sitting at the table.  

Martina eyed Zangulus predatorily from under her curly green tresses.  "If what, good sir?"  She leaned back in her chair revealing a tight outfit that exposed far more than it concealed.

Zangulus struggled to tear his eyes away from Martina's body as he stuttered, "If, uh, if you'd, uh, seen, uh, what was I saying?"  He took a seat at the table.  "I'm sorry," he said with an embarrassing grin.  "I can't remember why I came in here."

"Well, maybe you wanted to get your fortune read."  Martina suggested.  She took Zangulus's hands causing him to jump in his seat.  She chuckled and winked at him.  "This one's on the house."

"Oh, thanks."  Zangulus swallowed hard and tried to remember how he had gotten into this situation.

Martina gazed into her crystal ball, a grin forming on her face.  "Oh, this is interesting…  Very interesting…" she said as she glanced up at Zangulus.

"It is?" Zangulus asked, staring intently at the crystal.

"Oh, yes indeed," Martina purred.  "It says that you sir, are about to get extremely lucky."

Zangulus blinked in surprise.  "Huh?"  He looked up just in time to see Martina launch herself across the table into his arms.  He overbalanced in his chair and went crashing unceremoniously to the floor.  He looked up to see an extremely amorous Martina straddling his chest and squeaked, "Mommy…"

"Mmm, if you like," Martina murmured as she leaned down and passionately kissed the swordsman.

************************************************************************

Lina looked around the church in awe.  She whispered, "Wow."  The only church she had ever seen was the rundown one that Xellos had presided over.  This was totally different.

To begin with, you could have fit Lina's old church inside of this one three times over.  The ceiling arched high overhead, supported by lavishly decorated marble columns.  In the alcoves along the walls, busts of the High Priests of Ceiphied were displayed.  

Since the foundation of the theocracy centuries ago, there had always been a High Priest controlling the government.  The position had been passed in an unbroken chain from father to son for many generations.  All men in the family had been given the name of Rezo.

That was why all the busts looked eerily similar and had the same names engraved upon them.  "Rezo the Red", read one.  He had been particularly effective in expanding the boundaries of the kingdom through violence.  Next to that was "Rezo the Black", who had initiated a bloody purge of the "unfaithful" a century ago.  The unfaithful were any who dared criticize the church.

Lina noticed that Zelgadis was scowling at the bronze figures lining the wall.  "Something wrong Zel?" she asked quietly.

Zelgadis tersely shook his head and walked down the aisle.  "The library's this way," he called over his shoulder.

Lina shrugged and followed him.

************************************************************************

Phibrizzo followed Lina and the others until he saw where they were going.  He shivered and ducked behind a nearby tree when he caught sight of the immense figure of the Flare Dragon.  He scowled as he looked up at the statue of Ceiphied.  "Old bastard," he muttered angrily.  He sighed and sat down at the base of the tree.  He'd waited a thousand years to finish his work.  A couple more minutes wouldn't matter, he decided.

************************************************************************

Amelia looked at the entrance to the church.  She frowned at her blond companion.  "I'm sure that they just went in there.  Are you sure you want to do this?"

Gourry nodded determinedly.  "Lina needs my help."

Amelia swallowed nervously.  "But what about Martina's prediction?"

"I don't believe in processed cheese." Gourry said angrily as he walked up to the gate and examined the lock.

Amelia chuckled nervously.  "Uh, Mr. Gourry, you meant 'prophesies' right?"  Her eyes widened as she saw what he was about to do.  "Mr. Gourry, don't!"

Gourry took a short running start and slammed shoulder first into the gate.  To his incredibly painful surprise, his shoulder crumpled instead of the gate.  "Ow," he moaned as he fell onto his back.

Amelia shook her head sadly.  "You're hopeless."  She glanced around and saw a tree near the fence.  "Follow me, Mr. Gourry!" she called out as she ran towards the tree.  She jumped and caught a low hanging branch.  Using her forward momentum, she flipped herself up onto the limb.  She then proceeded to run along the branch and leap over the fence.  "See Mr. Gourry?  It's easy!" she said as she reached out to catch a branch on the other side of the fence.

Gourry watched in awe as Amelia sailed gracefully through the air, totally missed the catch, and slammed face first into the tree.  After lingering there for a moment, she toppled backwards and fell headfirst into a particularly thorny bush.

Xellos winced as he heard the crunch of Amelia's body hitting the ground.  "Oh my heavens, this isn't going too well, is it?"  He stepped out of the shadows and tapped the gate with his staff.  The lock clicked and the gate swung slowly open.  He then tapped Gourry on the shoulder before stepping back into the anonymity of the darkness.

"Hmm?"  Gourry looked over his shoulder and grinned.  "Hey, the gate's open!"

************************************************************************

Paula shivered at the feel of the cool night air and snuggled up closer to her boyfriend.  "Hallas," she pouted.  "Aren't you ready to go yet?  It's getting cold out."

Hallas shook his head and sighed, "But we haven't done everything yet.  Hey!"  He grinned as he saw a black tent erected a little ways away from the rest of the circus.  "A fortuneteller!"

Paula frowned, "Hallas, I'm ready to go."

"Aw, c'mon Paula, it'll be fun."  He walked up to the tent with Paula in tow and was about to enter when he heard odd noises from within.

Paula cocked her head and made a disgusted face at the grunts and groans emanating from the tent.  She whispered to Hallas, "Is that some kind of animal?"  

Hallas shook his head.  "If it is, it's dying."  He was about to pull back the tent flap when he heard a decidedly human voice.

A woman's voice chuckled and said, "On your knees worm!"  This command was punctuated by the sharp crack of a whip.

A pained voice answered, "Ow!  Take it easy!  I think that one drew blood!"

Hallas and Paula exchanged frightened looks as they quickly backed away from the tent.

************************************************************************

Zelgadis cautiously poked his head around the corner and glanced around the library.  Seeing that it was deserted, he entered and began to walk along a row of books reading titles.  He muttered, "This is way too easy."

Lina looked up from a copy of _Demons for Dummies _that she had been perusing and snorted, "Can't you ever just be grateful for a lucky break?  I thought that I'd have to fight my way in here, but you don't hear me complaining about not being up to my eyeballs in Slayers."

Zelgadis shot Lina a dirty look that she emphatically returned.  He growled, "I don't like surprises.  That's all."

"Then you're not going to like this," Lina muttered as she scanned a particularly interesting passage in the book.  She looked up and frowned at her companion.  "I know that you're not a Slayer, Zel."

"Oh?" Zelgadis muttered casually as he selected a book from the shelf.  He took a seat at a nearby table before meeting Lina's gaze.  "And why would you think that?"

Lina noted that Zelgadis seemed to be utterly unperturbed by her revelation.  He was either an excellent actor or had expected this all along.  She took a seat across from him and opened another tome.  She muttered, "Hmm, where to start?  For one thing, you didn't try to kill me when you found out that I was a rogue Slayer.  Any church sanctioned Slayer would have done so.  Secondly, you threw around a whole bunch of money.  Not that I don't appreciate it," she added with a grin, "But no Slayer could have afforded that kind of payoff.  Finally, you're sneaking into the church library with me.  If you were a Slayer, you'd have free access to this information."

Zelgadis sounded utterly bored as he sighed, "Bravo Lina.  Nothing gets by you does it?  You know, I'll bet even Gourry could have figured that out."  He turned another page and continued to read.

Lina smirked.  Even if Zelgadis had expected that first surprise, this next one would probably get a rise out of him.  She grinned and said, "By the way, I also know that you're not human."

Zelgadis hissed in surprise and looked up at the smirking redhead sitting across from him.  He quickly recovered and muttered in the same uninterested voice, "Now I'm afraid that you have totally lost me Lina.  What ever gave you the impression that I was anything but normal?"

In answer, the still smiling Lina nodded at something behind Zelgadis.  "That."

Zelgadis turned to see a highly polished shield adorning the wall behind him.  Lina was clearly reflected in its surface, but his own reflection looked transparent.  He could clearly see the book sitting on the table in front of him through his mirror image.

"And your nose," Lina continued.  "I broke your nose the other night and it's already healed, hardly normal Zel."

Zelgadis scowled and turned back to his reading.  "That's what you were looking at in the alley the other night," he muttered.  "I underestimated you."

Lina shrugged.  "It happens."

"So," he said as he slammed the book closed.  "What's keeping me from killing you now that you know my little secret?  I'm sure you've figured out some reason for me to keep you alive or you wouldn't have mentioned it."

Lina shook her head.  "Not really.  You're welcome to try.  I'd just like to warn you that I've become somewhat fond of you.  You're intelligent and competent.  I respect that.  On top of that, I suspect that all in all, we have very similar goals."   

Zelgadis stood and loomed menacingly over Lina.  He snarled, "Is there a point to your prattle or can I snap your neck now?"

Lina was unfazed by Zelgadis's threat.  "I just thought that you'd like to know that you're straddling the line between annoying acquaintance and beloved companion.  I'd hate to have to fulfill Martina's prophesy by killing you."

Zelgadis's eye twitched as he mulled this bit of information over.  Finally, he sighed and sat down.  He opened another manuscript and muttered, "You know, I wasn't really going to kill you."

Lina grinned and sarcastically said, "I love you too, Zel."  She picked up another heavy text and slammed it down on the table.  "Now don't you feel a lot better now that all those dirty little secrets are out in the open?"

Zelgadis's knuckles where white as he gripped the edge of the table.  He hissed, "Oh yes.  I feel… so much better now."  He sighed, "Something bothers me though."

"What's that?"

"If you knew that I wasn't human, why didn't you try to kill me?"  He quoted from the Slayers credo, "A Slayer will not spare a creature of the night." 

Lina looked up in surprise.  "What, that church garbage?  Sis taught me better than that.  The only reason that I'd ever want to kill you is because you sulk all the time.  That bugs the hell out of me."  She waved dismissively.  "Besides that, you don't strike me as the 'mindless munch on the innocents' type.  Being nonhuman isn't a crime in my book.  You have just as much right to live as anything else."

Zelgadis grinned as he went back to his reading.  "I appreciate that."

************************************************************************

Gourry looked around dubiously.  "Hey Amelia, are you sure they went this way?"  He thought that they had been walking down the stairs for quite a while now.

Amelia ignored Gourry's question, instead concentrating on listening for any signs of life in the chamber below.  Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she peered around the corner before darting into the shadow of a suit of armor erected near the entrance of the chamber.

Gourry walked nonchalantly into the room, much to Amelia's irritation.  He looked around and whistled.  "Wow, I guess this is the armory, huh?"  He walked over to a wall lined with blades of all shapes and sizes and picked up a heavy broadsword.

Deciding that stealth was useless with Gourry around, Amelia stepped out of the shadows and admired the weaponry.  "Yeah, I guess so.  But why is there an armory in the church?"  She removed a dagger from a shelf and examined it.  The blade was too bright to be steel.  "Silver?" she muttered.  "Why would they have weapons made out of silver?"

"Yeah, this one is too."  Gourry took a couple practice swings with the blade he was holding before returning it to its place on the wall.  He thought for a moment before nodding confidently.  "This must be the exterminator armory."

"Exterminators?" Amelia asked while eyeing a particularly jagged sword warily.  "Are you sure about that Mr. Gourry?"

Gourry nodded.  "Yep, Lina told me all about the exterminators.  That's what she does, you know."  He spied a particularly elaborate sword on a table.  "What's this?" he muttered as he picked it up.  It was amazingly well balanced, he noted and the craftsmanship was top notch.  Grinning he hooked it on his belt.  He'd just borrow it for a while.

Amelia's attention was grabbed by an anomaly in the room.  Most of the blades were well maintained, but there was a sword lying on the table that had what looked like dried blood on the blade.  Curious, she walked over and picked it up.  There were some initials engraved on the blade.  "L.I.," she whispered.

"Hey, that's Lina's sword," Gourry said as he made his way over to where Amelia was standing.  "How'd that get here?"

A voice spoke from the entryway to the room.  "It's here because it was found at the scene of the crime."  A man clad in a dark cloak stepped into the light.  "Can I assume that you know its owner?"

Amelia quickly stepped behind Gourry's large frame and said, "Scene of the crime?"

"Murder," was the man's cold response.  "The murder of two of my brethren."

Gourry shook his head angrily.  "Lina's not a murderer!"

The man cocked his head.  "Lina, as in Lina Inverse?"  

Gourry nodded as he drew his newfound sword.  The guy gave him the willies.  "And what's your name pal?"

"Me?  You may call me Vrumugun.  This is all very curious."  He took a step towards the two intruders.

"What's curious?" Amelia asked.

"Intruders in the church and now the traitor's sister finally resurfaced," Vrumugun hissed as he drew his sword.

"Who's a traitor?" Gourry asked as he assumed a defensive stance.  He whispered, "Stay back Amelia."

Amelia nodded and scampered under a nearby table.

Vrumugun snorted in derision as he watched Amelia cower behind Gourry.  He turned his attention back to the swordsman and said, "Luna Inverse, the greatest disgrace to ever stain the name of the noble order of the Slayers."

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Holy weapons and Phibrizzo's sport.

Notes:  Heh, heh, heh.  This was a weird chapter for me in a couple ways.  First there was Zelgadis's threatening Lina, but he's done that before so it seemed all right when I reread the chapter.  Second was the Martina/Zangulus bit.  It was kinda weird to write, but I'd just like to defend that part by saying that Martina married Zangulus after knowing him for a few days at the most.  So there.

Reader Responses:

Pogo, Hellmaster is getting a lot less fun and a whole lot meaner the more I write.  Let's just say he's done popping balloons and leave it at that, shall we?

Zaber I can't believe that you just did that to me.  I work my butt off to write this story and how do you repay me?  You sick a fruitcake Mazoku on me.  Thanks a heap…

Well, it certainly looks like Gourry's a goner, eh CT?  I loved writing that last chapter.  My favorite part was Xellos saving Kira, followed closely by the L/G bits.  I'm glad you enjoyed them.

Aw, don't cry Miss Gabriev!  You know Phibby wouldn't be much of a villain if he didn't threaten our heroine with a horrible death would he?  Although, I wouldn't say that Lina's going to come out of it unscathed either…  And it's not just the NEXT cast, by the way.  I threw in Hallas in this chapter.


	9. Rediscovery of the Light

Phibrizzo sighed and rested his chin in his palms.  This was incredibly boring.  The Slayer and all those others had been in the church for at least an hour.  He muttered, "This sucks.  What's keeping her?  I wanna kill the Slayer."  He looked up at the waning moon in the sky above.  It wasn't quite as red as it had been the previous evening, but he hadn't done any of his work today either.  He had to make haste before the barrier between worlds became too strong to break.

Admittedly, Phibrizzo didn't have to kill this new Slayer to finish his work.  He was really doing this to spite Xellos.  He had seen the loving way that Xellos had looked at her.  "Just like a pet," he snickered.  He frowned again noting that she still hadn't come out.  "This really sucks."  

Suddenly, an arm snaked around Phibrizzo's chest and a hand was clapped over his mouth.  He grinned wickedly.  Oh, this was interesting, a diversion to break up the tedium of the evening.

A voice hissed in Phibrizzo's ear, "Don't scream and you might live to see the dawn."  A rough hand began to search his pockets.

Phibrizzo frowned at the sound of tearing fabric.  This was a nice shirt and he didn't appreciate this hoodlum damaging it.  He reached out and touched his assailant's mind with his own.  In an instant, he knew everything there was to know about the man.  "Stop Vista," he commanded.  "Release me."  He felt the hands release their hold on him and he stepped away from his assailant.  "That's better.  Now show me what you see."

Vista stood, his hands hanging limply at his sides.  He was breathing in short shaky gasps as his eyes darted around the area.  There were monsters coming out of the trees.  "By Ceiphied," he whispered as he recognized one of the demons.  "That's my father."

Phibrizzo threw back his head and laughed.  "Issues with your father, how dull."  He cocked his head and listened to the steady stream of thoughts issuing from Vista.  He nodded.  "You didn't want to join the city guard like he did.  You wanted to be an artist."  He snickered.  "And now you're a petty thief.  I'll bet he's pretty mad now, huh?"

Vista fell to his knees and cowered in the shadow of his father.  "Stop looking at me!"

Phibrizzo knelt next to Vista and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "He's a stern man, isn't he?"

Vista nodded as tears ran down his cheeks.  "Uh huh, I was never good enough for him."  He glanced up and sobbed, "Stop looking at me!"  In the span of a few moments, he had been reduced to the emotional level of a child by Phibrizzo's ministrations.

"I understand," Phibrizzo said, nodding sadly.  His face brightened as he had an idea.  "Because I'm such a nice person, I'm going to help you Vista.  Stand up."

Vista did as he was told.  He closed his eyes and whimpered, "He's still glaring at me!  Why won't he stop?"

"My friend, the problem isn't that he's staring at you.  It's just that you're far too sensitive about it.  If you couldn't see him looking at you, it wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

Vista nodded slowly.  The kid's words made sense.  He whispered, "What should I do?"

Phibrizzo pulled out his knife and handed it to Vista.  He grinned wickedly.  "You know if I were in your situation, I'd cut my eyes out.  Then you couldn't see him glaring at you anymore."  He shrugged and continued, "But that's just me."

Vista smiled.  That was perfectly logical.  He wondered why he hadn't thought of it himself.  He whispered, "Thank you," as he raised the knife to his face with shaky hands.

"Don't mention it," said Phibrizzo.

************************************************************************

"Find something?" Lina asked hopefully as Zelgadis eagerly paged through a book.

Zelgadis scanned the page and shook his head.  "Nothing, damn it!" he yelled as he flung the book across the room.

Lina ducked and glared at Zelgadis.  "Subtlety Zel, look it up.  We're not supposed to be in here you know."  She went back to reading momentarily before grinning.  She laughed.  "I think I've found it.  Take a look at this Zel!"

Zelgadis moved around the table and read the passage over Lina's shoulder, "The appearance of the crimson moon takes place only once every thousand years.  During this time, the wall between the mortal realm and the underworld grows especially weak."

Lina nodded.  "That's why there aren't any Slayers here right now.  The dark creatures must be especially active tonight."  She nodded and continued, "That explains the dead people that Gourry and Zangulus saw.  They were aware of each other but couldn't interact with one another.  It's because they weren't really there."

Zelgadis crossed his arms and walked over to a nearby window.  He gazed out at the moon and mused, "That still doesn't account for the murders.  Someone from this world has been doing that.  And I'm sure that there's a good reason that he's committing these crimes now.  You don't seriously think that this is some kind of coincidence do you?"

"No, not really, I suppose that the closeness of the two realms would make any rituals that much more powerful.  But that still doesn't tell us what this guy's trying to do."  Lina groaned and slammed her head down on the tabletop.  "This is so frustrating!  Why can't things ever be easy?"

Zelgadis was about to answer when something distracted him.  His sensitive ears had detected the faint sound of shouting and clashing steel in the hallway below.  "Something's up," he muttered.  "Let's go Lina."

************************************************************************

Zangulus stood up on wobbly legs and shook his head.  He glanced at Martina and said, "Martina, that was-"

"The greatest thing that you've ever experienced?" Martina asked as she looked in a mirror while running a brush through her extremely disheveled hair.

Zangulus sighed shakily as he eyed the whip lying next to her.  He muttered, "No, I was going to say terrifying," as he recalled the events of the past few minutes with a shudder.  "You didn't have to hit me so hard you know."  

Martina chuckled and sauntered over to Zangulus.  She adjusted his hat on his head and whispered in his ear, "I'll have to remember that next time."

"Yeah, and another thing," Zangulus said as Martina adjusted his cloak around his shoulders.  "What's a Zomo Gustav?"

Martina blushed.  "I'm sorry?"

Zangulus coughed embarrassedly.  "Zomo Gustav.  You kept saying Zomo Gustav earlier."

Martina laughed nervously as she pushed Zangulus towards the entrance to the tent.  She quickly said, "Well, it's getting late and I have to close up.  Thanks for stopping by."

"But…" Zangulus protested.

"No buts!  You have to find your friends, remember?  They said something about going to a church."  Martina quickly kissed Zangulus and shoved him out of the tent.  She winked at him before closing the flap.  "Bye, now."

Zangulus stared at the tent for a moment before shaking his head confusedly.  He wandered off in the direction of the church.

Martina watched Zangulus leave from inside the tent.  She clasped her hands together and smiled.  "At last the wise and just Zomo Gustav has seen fit to bless me with a mighty specimen of a man worthy of becoming my husband!"

Zangulus trembled as he felt a sudden chill.  "Now what?" he muttered as he looked around nervously.  As far as he could tell, he was alone on the dark street.  A moment later, he shrugged and continued on his way.

************************************************************************

"Mr. Gourry," Amelia gasped, "Was that supposed to happen?"  She glanced over her shoulder at the pursuing Vrumugun.  He was closing the gap between them.

Gourry looked down at the sword hilt that he was carrying.  "I don't think so."  When Vrumugun had attacked him, he had blocked with the sword only to have the blade neatly cut from the hilt.  He briefly wished that he had his sword from home or another sword or heck, even a dagger would do at this point, but of course, he wasn't really that good with a dagger, so maybe he should go back to wishing for his sword…

Amelia shrieked and jumped onto Gourry's back to avoid being sliced neatly in two by their pursuer.  She grabbed two handfuls of his hair and spurred him on.  "Run faster, Mr. Gourry!" she yelled.

Gourry huffed, "I'm not a horse you know!"  He sprinted up the last couple steps and emerged into the central cathedral.  He tried to leap over a pew to put some breathing room between himself and Vrumugun, but didn't take Amelia's added weight into consideration.  As he leapt, his foot caught on the top of the bench, sending him and Amelia crashing unceremoniously to the floor.

Amelia shook the cobwebs out and turned to face the point of Vrumugun's sword.  She whispered, "Oh my," as their assailant raised his sword overhead.  She glanced down and saw that Gourry was trapped beneath her and quite stunned on top of that.  He wouldn't be any help.

Lina and Zelgadis burst into the cathedral from a door on the opposite side of the room.  They both gasped in shock at sight of Vrumugun threatening Gourry and Amelia.

"Amelia," Zelgadis hissed.  There wasn't time to reach Amelia before the Slayer's sword fell.  He desperately glanced around for a moment before his gaze fell on Lina.  "He muttered, "It'll have to do," as he took a step towards her.

 Lina took a cautious step back from Zelgadis.  "What will have to do?" she asked cautiously.  "Hey, watch the hands Zel!" she yelled as he grabbed the front of her blouse.

"No time for that," Zelgadis said as he easily lifted Lina over his head.

"I'll ask you one more time," Vrumugun hissed through clenched teeth, "Where is Lina Inverse?"

Amelia stammered, "I… I don't…  Please don't…" as she stared at the light glinting on Vrumugun's sword.

Vrumugun snarled, "Then you die."  He was about to bring his sword down on Amelia's head when he heard a voice.

"She's right here!"

Vrumugun's composure cracked momentarily and he blurted, "What the…?" as he looked up to see Zelgadis fling a vehemently protesting Lina across the room.  Before he could duck, the screaming redheaded projectile crashed into him rendering him unconscious.

Lina sat up and rubbed her head.  Remembering where she was, she quickly glanced down to make sure that Vrumugun was really out.  Satisfied that she was in no immediate danger, she shook her fist and snarled, "Zel, you ass!  What's the big idea?!"  

Zelgadis ignored Lina's insults and knelt down beside Amelia.  He gently took her arm and helped her to her feet.  "Are you alright?"

Lina watched the action for a moment before shouting, "Is she all right?!  What am I, chopped liver?!"

Amelia whispered, "I'm fine," as she stared into Zelgadis's eyes.  Feeling her cheeks getting hot, she tore her eyes away from him and focused on her fallen companion.  "Uh, Mr. Gourry?"

Gourry slowly picked himself up off the ground.  He looked Amelia over and sighed in relief when he saw that she was still in one piece.  "Hey, where's Lina?"  Seeing Lina sitting atop the unconscious Vrumugun, he frowned.  "Are you alright?"

Lina glared at Gourry.  She muttered, "I told you to leave me alone.  I don't need any help."

Gourry picked up the protesting redhead and set her on her feet.  "Don't say that Lina.  I'm your protector, remember?"

Lina blinked in surprise.  "My protector, who says that I need a protector, and when did this happen?"

Gourry grinned and explained, "Last night.  Don't you remember?  You said that you were scared and I told you that I would protect you.  You made me promise."

Amelia smiled and added, "Yeah, and it would be wrong for Mr. Gourry to have to break his promise."

"Last night?!  How in the hell do you remember something that I said last night, when you can't even remember what happened five minutes ago?  Besides, I thought that you just meant while I slept!" Lina asked.  The memory of Martina's prophecy was still fresh in her mind.  She whined, "I don't want a protector!  You'd just get in my way!"

Gourry gave Lina a stern look.  He said, "It doesn't matter how much you complain Lina.  I'll stick by you until the end, whether you like it or not.  What kind of guy would I be if I let a little girl face the danger alone?"

Lina's face flushed red from a mixture of embarrassment and rage.  She hissed, "You… you jellyfish!  Did you ever stop to think that if you stick by me to the end; it might be your end?  And what's with this little girl garbage?  I'm eighteen!"

Zelgadis smirked and muttered, "I suppose you're saying Gourry is a 'beloved companion' Lina?"

Lina glared at Zelgadis and snarled, "Don't you start with me…"

Unperturbed, Zelgadis continued, "Have you considered that maybe a beloved companion isn't necessarily someone who travels with you?  Prophecies are often full of misleading information and double meanings."

Amelia nodded.  "That's right, and Martina's been wrong before."  She frowned and mumbled, "Not any time that I can recall, but I'm sure that it's happened."

Lina cocked an eyebrow at Amelia.  "What are you doing here anyway?  I hardly even know you."

Amelia blushed and stole a quick glance at Zelgadis.  "Well, Mr. Gourry was absolutely crushed when you ran off and I thought that I'd help him."  She jumped up on the back of a pew and clasped her hands together happily.  "It'd be wrong of me to ignore a noble cause like true love!"

Lina eyed Amelia warily, trying to decide if she was crazy or just melodramatic.  She muttered, "True love?  What are you talking about?"

Amelia looked down at the confused Gourry and then back at Lina.  "Well, you looked pretty upset earlier and with the way Mr. Gourry was acting, I just thought-"

"Never mind!" Lina yelled.  She looked over the strange assembly before her and muttered to herself, "A clueless swordsman, a morose jerk, and an idealistic circus performer."  She looked up at the ceiling and whined, "Am I being punished?  What could I have possibly done to deserve this?!"

Gourry grinned as he watched Lina's temper tantrum.  "Ah, you're just lucky Lina."

Lina was about to make a derogatory remark when she saw what Gourry was holding.  Her eyes widened in shock as she whispered, "Is that…?"

Zelgadis noticed it at the same time.  He pointed at the hilt that Gourry was holding and asked, "Gourry, where did you get that?"

Gourry looked down at the damaged sword and shook his head.  "What, this thing?  I found it downstairs.  It was just sitting on a table.  It's broken though."

Lina watched in utter horror as Gourry casually tossed the hilt over his shoulder.  She shrieked, "Gourry, what are you doing?!" as she dove to catch it.  She landed face first and empty-handed on the floor.  She glanced up to see Zelgadis examining the hilt.  She eagerly asked, "So, is that it?"

Zelgadis nodded.  "It matches the description in the legends.  But there's only one way to find out isn't there?"  He held the hilt up and uttered, "Light come forth!"

A beam of pale yellow light sprung from the hilt in the shape of a blade.  As they all watched, the light flickered and went out.

Lina hopped up and down angrily.  "What happened?  What happened?!  Let me hold it Zel!"  Without waiting for his consent, she snatched the weapon from his grasp and yelled, "Light come forth!"

Just as before, the blade formed but quickly flickered and went out.

Lina growled and frantically swung the weapon around.  "Hey, where'd it go?  Damn it!"  She carefully examined the end of the hilt as she muttered, "Is it broken?  This is the Sword of Light, isn't it?"

"Sword of Light?" Amelia asked Zelgadis, who seemed to be the only one who knew what was going on.

Zelgadis nodded and answered, "The legendary Sword of Light.  Supposedly, Rezo the First constructed it for use in his battle with the Hellmaster one thousand years ago."

"That's right," Lina said as she shook the weapon in an attempt to get some sort of reaction out of it.  "In addition to being a wise priest…"

Zelgadis scowled momentarily, but his expression quickly returned to one of neutrality.

Lina continued, "…he was also a great warrior.  He slew the Hellmaster and established the theocracy that still governs this country today.  He was by far the most noble and respectable of the High Priests of Ceiphied."

Zelgadis snorted, "Noble and respectable?'  Time has a tendency to distort the facts, Lina."  He crossed his arms angrily and glared at the floor.

Lina looked at the glowering Zelgadis quizzically.  "What's your problem?"

"So professor, what does the Sword of Light do?" asked Gourry.

Lina winked at Gourry.  "Glad you asked!  Supposedly, the noble Rezo put a part of his own soul into the construction of the sword.  The blade is composed of holy energy and sunlight, great for Slayers, bad for vampires."  She muttered, "But why was it just stored away in an armory?"  She shook the sword angrily.  "And why doesn't the damn thing work?!"

"Oh my, look at this rare thing, The Sword of Light!"  Xellos stepped out of the shadows of one of the busts of Rezo.

Zelgadis snarled, "It's you!"

"Xellos?" Lina muttered curiously.  She looked at the seething Zelgadis.  "So, uh, I guess you guys know each other?"

Xellos grinned.  "But of course!  Zelgadis didn't tell you?  We met last night when-mmph!"

Zelgadis clapped a hand over the priest's mouth and hissed, "Just drop it, okay?"

Lina shook her head confusedly.  "So, what are you doing here?"

Xellos waved dismissively and said, "Oh you know, just a bit of official business.  You missed my sermon this morning, young lady."

Lina chuckled, "Yeah, about that…"

"Never mind Lina, I'm sure that you had a good reason."  Xellos looked around at the group and grinned.  "Now, I'm sure that you're all wondering why the Sword of Light doesn't work."

"Yeah, that's right," Amelia chimed in.  "Mr. Zelgadis and Miss Lina couldn't make it work."

"That's because you've obviously forgotten part of the legend.  You need pure thoughts and a clear conscience to use the Sword of Light."  Xellos's expression darkened briefly.  "Not coincidently, that's why it was stored away here in the church."

"So you're saying that the Slayers aren't good enough to use the Sword of Light anymore?" Lina thought for a moment before glaring at Xellos.  "And what's this stuff about pure thoughts?  My thoughts are as pure as the driven snow!"

"Says the girl that extorted 500 gold pieces from me," Zelgadis muttered.  He gave Gourry a meaningful look and continued, "Given the stipulations that Xellos just mentioned, I think that someone less… complex would have better luck with the Sword of Light."

Amelia smiled as she realized what Zelgadis was getting at, "Yeah, someone with noble intentions."

Lina muttered, "Yeah, someone who doesn't have to worry about his conscience because he doesn't remember anything for longer than five minutes anyway."

"Hmm?"  Gourry looked around at the others curiously.  Had he missed something?  "Hey!" he exclaimed as Lina casually tossed the Sword of Light to him.  "Be more careful!"

Lina shrugged.  "Go ahead.  Knock yourself out, Gourry."  Noting Gourry's blank expression she threw up her hands in frustration and growled, "Just hold the damn thing up and say 'Light come forth!"

"Uh, light come forth?" Gourry muttered.

The sword's reaction was instant.  Instead of the pale light that resulted from Lina and Zelgadis's attempts with the sword, an intense yellow beam sprang into existence.  The room became as bright as a midsummer day.

Zelgadis hissed in pain and quickly concealed his face with his hood and mask.

"Wow," Gourry said as he stared at the blade.  "It feels familiar."   He twirled it experimentally and laughed.  "This is great!  It's got the same balance as my sword!"

"Glad you like it Gourry," Lina said as she shielded her eyes against the brilliant light, "But do you think you could turn it off now?"

"I haven't seen the sword shine this brightly since the days of Rezo," Xellos muttered in awe.  He was the only one in the room unhindered by the light emanating from the sword.

"Days of Rezo?" Lina mused.  "What are you talking about Xellos?  That was a thousand years ago."  She could barely make Xellos out through the brilliant light.

"Oh, just a slip of the tongue Lina, pay it no heed.  Oh my, look at the time!  I've got a lot of work to finish at the church.  Bye!"  Xellos waved and stepped behind one of the Rezo statues.

"Xellos wait," Lina called out as she ran after the priest.  She looked behind the bust where he had disappeared and found nothing but dust.  She whispered, "How the hell?"

"Uh, Lina?" Gourry said.

"What?"

Gourry chuckled, "I don't know how to turn it off."

************************************************************************

"Don't you feel a lot better now?" Phibrizzo asked his unfortunate attacker.

Vista was curled up in a fetal position on the ground.  He looked up at the sound of Phibrizzo's voice with his empty eye sockets and whispered, "Yes."

Phibrizzo clapped his hands and grinned.  "I knew that you would."  His grin quickly faded and he sighed, "But now I suspect that there's another little problem isn't there?"

Vista sobbed and mumbled, "My face hurts."  He reached up and touched his ruined visage with trembling hands.  He whimpered, "See?  It hurts so much."

Phibrizzo shook his head and scowled.  "It's never enough for you people is it?  I bend over backwards to help you and what thanks do I get?"  He spoke in a mocking tone, "My face hurts."  He kicked Vista in the ribs and snarled, "For Shabranigdo's sake, what do you want from me?  I'd tell you to go jump in a lake but I doubt that you'd be able to find one."

"I'm sorry," Vista mumbled.

"Damn right, you're sorry," Phibrizzo growled.  He sighed in frustration.  "You know what?  Why don't you go find that lake and drown yourself?  Your whining is really starting to piss me off."

Vista turned his head back and forth desperately wishing that he had his vision back.  He sobbed, "Where's the lake?  It's dark and I can't find the lake."  He turned his bloody face towards the Hellmaster hopefully.  "Will you help me find the lake?" he timidly requested.

"It's that way," Phibrizzo mumbled impatiently while pointing in a random direction.

Vista whined, "Which way?  It's too dark to see."  He sensed the Hellmaster's barely contained rage and immediately regretted asking.  He squeaked, "I'm sorry."

Phibrizzo hissed, "Just go straight ahead."

"And then I'll find the lake?" Vista asked hopefully.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?!  Just get out of my sight!" Phibrizzo snarled as he kicked Vista again.  He growled and sat back down under the tree as he watched the sobbing ruin of a man crawl away.  

Normally the Hellmaster would have enjoyed tormenting the man, but he was getting impatient waiting for the Slayer to come out of the church.  Which was quite strange, he mused.  He had waited a thousand years to complete his task and over the span of a few hours he had lost his temper.  He looked down at his childlike body and wondered how much of the boy's natural personality was manifesting itself in his actions.  Temper tantrums, visiting the circus, and preying almost exclusively on other children.  He wasn't acting like he had in his previous form at all.

The Hellmaster's previous form had been that of a philosopher, he vaguely recalled.  What had he been named again?  A wicked grin split his face and he whispered, "Lei Magnus.  That was my name."  His killings had been far more refined than they were in his current form.  He had taken hundreds of victims, but in the end he had been caught and killed.

Hellmaster remembered being on hands and knees struggling to hold his slick intestines inside of himself.  He had looked up and seen a proud and noble man standing over him.    "Rezo," he hissed, now totally lost in the memory.  "I lost, but, how?"

Rezo had raised his sword, a Sword of Light, over his head.  "You lost because you refused to consider the possibility of your failure," he explained in his soft voice.  "Your overconfidence has cost you the day my old friend, and your life."  The Sword of Light had fallen then and everything became nothing.

Old friend?  Hellmaster nodded as the memory came back.  Lei Magnus had been a close friend of Rezo before Hellmaster had taken the philosopher as his host.  There had been someone else there that day.  He vaguely recalled that there had been two priests presiding over his execution, Rezo and the other one.  "Xellos," he hissed.  "You were there too.  You laughed at me as I died."

Suddenly, a voice spoke from above the Hellmaster.  "Laughed at you?  Oh my heavens, that's just not true."

Phibrizzo quickly looked up in the tree and snarled, "You!"

Xellos was comfortably sprawled out on a limb above the Hellmaster.  He chuckled and said, "The simple truth of the matter is that I've never stopped laughing at you."  He nodded in the direction of the church.  "It looks like you're about to lose your quarry Hellmaster, Sloppy, as usual."

Phibrizzo looked in the direction that Xellos had indicated and scowled.  The Slayer and her companions had already neared the end of the block.  How had he let them slip past?  He leapt to his feet and glared at Xellos.  "Don't interfere."

Xellos shrugged, "I wouldn't dream of it.  My master would be most upset if I did anything but watch.  Good luck now."  He winked at the Hellmaster and disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

Hellmaster snarled as he darted off towards the Slayers.  A whirlwind of questions ran through his mind.  Why had Xellos pointed out the Slayers?  What was he not telling?  Why was he so confident?  He brushed these questions aside as he closed in on his prey.  Xellos had been playing games.  He had been trying to make the Hellmaster doubt himself.  He snarled, "Well, it's not going to work."  He pounced.

************************************************************************

"And vampires are really real?" Amelia asked doubtfully.  "But that stuff's just make believe."

Lina nodded in agreement and said, "You're absolutely right Amelia.  And swords aren't made out of sunlight either, are they?"

Amelia scratched her head and said, "Well… I guess, but you have to admit that this is kind of hard to believe."

Zelgadis shook his head and asked, "Amelia, have you ever seen Ceiphied?"

"Well, no," Amelia admitted.

Zelgadis nodded and continued, "But you believe that Ceiphied exists, right?"

"Of course!"  Amelia sighed, "I see what you're saying, but you have to admit that's a little different Mr. Zelgadis."

"Granted, but-" Zelgadis stopped in his tracks and looked at a young boy standing about twenty feet ahead of them in the middle of the moonlit street.

Phibrizzo waved at them cheerily.  "Hi.  I believe you were looking for me?"

Lina frowned and said, "You need to go home, kid.  It's dangerous after dark."

Phibrizzo nodded.  "I suppose you would know all about that, wouldn't you Lina Inverse?  Talk to your 'Sis', lately?"  He threw back his head and laughed.

"You're him.  You're the one who's been doing all the killings," Lina whispered.  "Who are you?"

"I am the very fabric of your nightmares.  My host's name is Phibrizzo, or if you prefer you may address my by my title.  I am the Hellmaster.  Know me and despair mortals!"  Phibrizzo laughed wickedly.

"Hellmaster?" Amelia muttered.  "What's that Mr. Zelgadis?" she asked.

Zelgadis couldn't hear her question.  His gaze was locked on the form of Phibrizzo.  

Lina fell to her knees in shock.  "You're the Hellmaster?"

Gourry drew the Sword of Light and advanced on Phibrizzo.  He muttered, "You're the one that Lina talked about."

Hellmaster grinned at Gourry.  "That's right Gourry Gabriev."

Gourry shouted, "Light come forth!" and the Sword of Light sprang into existence.

Phibrizzo eyed the Sword of Light warily.  He muttered, "I remember that sword.  You won't kill me again."  He looked up at the determined expression on Gourry's face.  He whispered, "Tell me Gourry, what do you fear?"

Before Gourry could answer, Lina was on her feet and running past him.  She lunged at the Hellmaster and swung her silver edged sword at his throat.

Phibrizzo grinned and caught the blade between his index finger and thumb.  He whispered, "Naughty girl.  That won't work," before thrusting his other hand into Lina's chest.  He admonished her as he forced his hand past bone and into moist softness, "Honestly, Inverse.  I really expected a little bit of fight out of you."

Gourry looked on in horror as Lina's body tensed up.  He saw her sword fall from her fingers and heard her gasp in agony as the Hellmaster tortured her.  He screamed, "LINA!"

The Sword of Light dimmed.

Phibrizzo grinned as he found what he was looking for.  He whispered to Lina, "I think we've got it now."  There was a sickening slurp as he pulled his arm free of her body.  He contemplated the gory mess he was holding for a moment before muttering, "Is it her heart?  Damn, I can never tell when the stuff is still wet."  He held the bloody chunk of flesh up for Gourry's inspection.  "What do you think it is Gourry?"

Gourry ignored the Hellmaster and instead watched Lina fall to her knees, then onto her face, quite dead.

The Sword of Light flickered briefly and then extinguished altogether.  

Gourry dropped his weapon as he screamed Lina's name over and over.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Hellmaster triumphant…

Notes:  I'd just like to start these notes by saying that I wasn't going to post this chapter until Monday.  HOWEVER, certain parties who shall remain nameless have coerced me into uploading early.

How about that for an ending, eh?  A lot of dialogue in the middle there.  And some action at the end.  All in all, a nice balanced chapter if I do say so myself.  Oh, and Lina's dead.  Sorry about that.

Reader Response:

Pogo would you stop reading my mind please?!  I mean honestly, mentioning the SoL early and all the other stuff you've written.  Did you know that I had written the _Demons for Dummies_ bit before we had our "for dummies" conversation?  Strange coincidence.

Miss Gabriev, you think the truth about Zel's identity has been revealed?  All of it?  Hardly.  And as far as I know, there's not really a _Demons for Dummies_.  Given all the other books though, there may very well be.  Paula was the daughter of Calli that Hallas was going to marry.  And who said that Martina was a defender of love and justice?

Stara, I was wondering if you were reading this story.  You think Gourry's kind of been dumbed down like he was in Try huh?  I was watching Try when I wrote this so maybe it rubbed off a bit.  I'm back on the first season again so Gourry might get smarter now.  Who knows?

Zaber, I hate the heat.  That's probably why Xellos took me there right?  "Having a great time?"  Ugh, excuse me.  I have to go and be sick now…

I forgot to mention it last time, but thanks to my overworked, virus infested (her computer, not her), underpaid beta reader Boo-san!

'Till next time! 


	10. Darkness falls

Gourry shrieked, "LINA!"

Lina jumped at the sound of hopeless agony in Gourry's voice.  She looked over her shoulder to see her weeping protector on his hands and knees.  She called out, "Gourry?  Gourry are you okay?!"  

Gourry cradled Lina's lifeless body in his arms.  Her glassy eyes stared at him hopelessly.  He had failed her.  He had promised to protect her and he had failed.  

Lina knelt beside Gourry and put a hand on his shoulder.  "Gourry it's okay.  Gourry answer me!"  She watched him smash his head into the cobblestones as he muttered her name over and over.  She yelled, "Gourry, stop it!  You're going to hurt yourself!"  Desperately, she flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, trying to somehow let him know that everything was okay.

Gourry couldn't be comforted.  As far as he was concerned the girl he had promised to protect was lying lifeless in a rapidly growing pool of her own blood.  He sobbed, "Lina!  I'm sorry!"

Zelgadis watched Lina and Gourry briefly before turning his furious gaze to Phibrizzo.  He snarled, "What did you do to Gourry?!"

Phibrizzo grinned.  "Why don't I show you?"  He snapped his fingers and the moonlit street vanished to be replaced by a grassy plain.

Zelgadis looked around to see that Lina and the others were gone.  He felt fear welling up within him as he looked up into the sky.  The sun, impossibly large, shined down on him.  He covered his eyes and hissed in pain.  To his horror, he noticed that his clothes were gone.  His skin began to bubble and hiss under the intense heat and he screamed in agony.

Hellmaster nodded, satisfied with his handiwork.  He said, "Zelgadis, truly you are a very simple creature.  You're afraid of something as simple as the sun?  It's akin to an animal's fear of fire.  I wonder, are you really nothing more than an animal?"  He snorted, "You're certainly not human."

Zelgadis fought through the pain and stood.  He snarled at the childish form standing in front of him, "I am human!"

Phibrizzo snickered, "You?  Human?  That's a joke!  As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but-"  A line of blood suddenly appeared across his chest.  He hissed in pain and muttered, "I'll be right back Zelgadis.  In the meantime, they'll entertain you."  He nodded at something behind Zelgadis and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Zelgadis turned just in time to be hit in the face with a rotten tomato.  He wiped the pulp off his face and hissed at the crowd of people that had appeared before him.

The crowd shouted insults at him and continued to pelt him with garbage.

************************************************************************

"Very bold of you, Miss Seyruun."  Phibrizzo said calmly as he wiped the blood from his chest.  

Amelia held a dagger with shaky hands.  She really had no desire to hurt Phibrizzo, but it was obvious that he was doing something to Zelgadis and Gourry.  She pleaded with him, "Please stop.  I don't want to have to kill you."

Phibrizzo nodded sympathetically.  "I can respect that.  To be honest, I would also prefer it if you didn't kill me."  He looked into Amelia's deep blue eyes and smiled.  "You have very pretty eyes Amelia.  Did anyone ever tell you that?"

Amelia glanced over her shoulder nervously.  Zelgadis and Gourry were still writhing on the ground.  She turned back to Phibrizzo and shouted, "Leave them alone!"  She took a determined step towards him and brandished the dagger threateningly.  

Phibrizzo continued on unperturbed, "Yes, very pretty eyes.  I'd even go so far as to call them beautiful.  Can I have them Amelia?"  He flexed his hand and human fingernails became jagged talons. He whispered, "It'll only take a second.  Just a two little pops and I'm done.  What do you say, Amelia?  Vision is highly overrated."

Amelia trembled for a moment before taking a halfhearted swing at Phibrizzo grazing his cheek.  "No!" she said angrily.  "Let them go or I will hurt you!"

Phibrizzo snickered and wiped his face with the back of his hand smearing blood across his cheek.  "You're brave Amelia.  I respect that.  So just hand me the dagger and I'll kill you quickly."  He made a slashing motion with his hand.  "A quick slice across the throat and you'll pass out almost immediately.  It'll hardly even hurt."  He pondered for a moment before adding, "How about this?  I'll even let the others live."  He crossed his fingers behind his back as he continued, "One life in exchange for two.  Sounds like a noble death to me.  Very just."

Amelia's voice quivered as she whispered, "And… and you promise to let Mr. Zelgadis and Mr. Gourry go?  You won't hurt them anymore?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die, Amelia.  I may be a demon, but I am incapable of lying.  Your friends will not die by my hand.  You can't possibly defeat me, but you still have a chance to save them." The Hellmaster said as he put on his most charming smile.  "Be the hero."

Amelia's hand shook as she reached out to give Phibrizzo the dagger.

"No!" Lina yelled as she stood up and charged at the Hellmaster.  She knew that the only way to save Gourry now was to kill Phibrizzo.  She shoved Amelia to the ground and plunged her sword into the demon's shoulder.

The Hellmaster hissed in pain as he looked down at his wounded shoulder.  He glared at Lina, hate burning in his eyes.  He snarled, "You bitch!" as he wrapped his hands around her throat and began to squeeze.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia yelled as she climbed to her feet.  

Hellmaster glared at the acrobat.  "Sleep," he commanded through clenched teeth.  "I'll deal with you later."  He watched Amelia collapse and begin to snore before turning his attention back to Lina.  "Where were we?" he hissed.

Lina answered his question by shoving her blade deeper into Phibrizzo's body.  She snarled at him, her fury matching his own.

Phibrizzo cried out in pain and released his grip on Lina's throat.  He grinned as he grabbed her blade, holding it within himself.  Blood smeared the silver from new cuts in his fingers.  With his other hand, he drew his knife and held it up at eye level.

Lina saw herself reflected in his blade briefly before he drew it back, intending to plunge it into her throat.  She shook her head fiercely and tried to pull her sword out of his arm.  His demonic strength prevented her from doing so, so she did the next best thing.  She twisted it in the wound, driving it even deeper.

The Hellmaster shrieked in agony as he felt metal scrape against bone.  His knife fell from his fingers and landed in the street.  This was why he hadn't used a child as a host before.  They had a remarkably low pain threshold.  He could hear Phibrizzo crying in pain in the back of his mind.  The child's voice was an annoying drone that wouldn't go away.  "Shut up.  Shut up!  SHUT UP!" he screamed at himself.  "It's only a scratch you baby!"

Lina blinked in surprise at the sight of the Hellmaster talking to himself.  She said, "Hellmaster, you're not alone in there are you?"  Unconsciously, she loosened her grip on her sword ever so slightly.  "That's an innocent child isn't it?"

Hellmaster looked up from his interior monologue and grinned at Lina wickedly.  "What, you thought this was my true form?"  He laughed.  "Sorry to disappoint you, but this body is only a loaner.  Hey, would you like to meet the little tyke?  Hold on a second."  Hellmaster's shoulders slumped and his chin fell onto his chest.  It was like he had suddenly fallen asleep.

Phibrizzo opened his eyes and looked at Lina and then at her sword.  He sobbed, "Why are you hurting me?"

Xellos watched the confrontation from atop a nearby building.  He shook his head and sighed, "Be strong Lina.  Kill him."

Lina gasped in shock.  She muttered, "By Ceiphied…"

Taking advantage of her surprise, Hellmaster leapt back into control of Phibrizzo.  The pain that had been reflected in the boy's eyes moments ago was replaced by hatred.  He ripped Lina's sword from his shoulder and flung it aside before grabbing her throat and staring into her eyes.  "Now Inverse," he hissed, "Let's see what keeps you up at night."

Sensing what the Hellmaster intended to do, Lina shook her head and screamed.  She felt the first traces of his consciousness touching hers, like a clammy hand stroking her face.

Hellmaster nodded and closed his eyes.  "Let's see… darkness.  You're afraid of the dark are you?  That's surprising.  Just a little girl at heart, huh?  Let's dig a little deeper, shall we?"

"No," Lina protested.  "No!"  She could feel the Hellmaster going through all of her most beloved memories and innermost thoughts.  She felt herself being dragged along on his mental exploration.

************************************************************************

Lina looked up to see a small house on the outskirts of the city.  Sitting in the road in front of the house was a little red haired girl who looked to be about three years old.  She was wearing pink shorts a frayed short sleeve shirt.  She was crying over a skinned knee.

"Lina, what did you do?" asked a kindly voice.

Lina looked at the door to the house and saw a woman silhouetted in the entryway.  She whispered, "Mom?"

The little girl pointed to her knee and whined, "I fell down and got a hurty mommy!"

The woman stepped out of the house and walked over to the little girl.  

Lina noted that, try as she might, she couldn't make out the features of the woman.  Her parents had died when she was very young and her recollection of their appearances was very sketchy.

Lina's mother sighed, "Oh my!  You certainly did, didn't you?"  She crossed her arms and pretended to ponder for a moment.  "Well, what do you think we should do about it?"

Lina smiled and whispered, "Kiss it better."

The little girl mirrored Lina's smile and said, "Kiss it better mommy!"

"Kiss it better mommy!" said the Hellmaster in a mocking tone.  "By Shabranigdo, you were a whiny child weren't you Inverse?  This is pretty damn boring.  I know!  Let's give you something to really cry about."

Phibrizzo appeared behind Lina's mother with a knife.  He grinned at Lina as he raised the blade over his head.

Lina shook her head and tried to call out a warning to the woman, but she was utterly silent.  The Hellmaster had taken her voice away and all she could do was watch as he drove the knife into her mother's back over and over.

Hellmaster turned from his bloody work to look at Lina.  He snickered, "That was a lot more exciting than seeing you get a skinned knee."  

The little girl covered her eyes and sobbed, "Why'd you hurt my mommy?"

Hellmaster looked down at the weeping little girl and grinned.  "I didn't hurt your mommy.  She fell down and skinned her knee.  You'd better hurry up and kiss it better!"  His wicked laughter made the young Lina cry even harder.

Lina fell to her knees and wept at the sight of the Hellmaster taunting her younger self.

Phibrizzo frowned as he watched Lina.  "Aw, still a crybaby even as an adult, huh Lina?  I hate crybabies"  He kicked the little girl in face and turned to walk down the street.  He called over his shoulder, "Let's see what else we can find…  Oh yes!  This looks interesting."

************************************************************************

Lina wiped away her tears and looked around.  She was back in the apartment that she had shared with Luna for several years.  The sound of giggling drew her attention to the corner of the room.

The red haired girl, now at age six, sat in a shabby chair at a table.  She had her eyes covered and was grinning.  She asked, "Can I open my eyes now Sis?"

A calm voice, full of confidence, drifted across the room.  "Not yet Lina."

Lina turned to see a twelve-year-old Luna kneeling next to the fireplace.  

Luna had been the only family that Lina had left after their parents died.  Being a responsible girl, she had easily found work as a waitress and despite the lousy pay, had managed to put a roof over their heads.

As Lina watched, Luna pulled a loose stone in the fireplace aside to reveal a package wrapped in bright pink paper.  She quietly replaced the stone and walked over to the table.  She set the package in front of Lina and said, "Now you can open your eyes."

The young girl uncovered her eyes and laughed when she saw the package.  She asked excitedly, "Is that for me, Sis?"

Lina shook her head and smiled.  She muttered sarcastically, "No it's for the neighbor's dog, silly."

Luna rolled her eyes and tried not to smile.  She was a very serious girl.  She said, "Of course it's for you.  Do you see anyone else here?"

Lina grinned and took that as her cue to maul the package.  "Thanks Sis!" she yelled as she tore the paper open to reveal a stuffed bear.  Her eyes sparkled with joy and she hugged the toy.  "Wow!"

Luna couldn't resist the urge to smile any longer.  She asked, "Do you like it?"

The little girl giggled and squeezed the stuffed bear even harder.  "I love it!"

Luna said, "Take good care of it."

"Thanks Sis!  I will!"

Hellmaster's voice boomed, "Oh, you are such a little liar, Lina!  We both know what happened to that toy."

The scene shifted to the burning apartment.  Lina saw the smoldering stuffed bear briefly before a burning timber fell on top of it.  She shook her head angrily and said, "But Sis told me…"

Hellmaster cut her off.  "She told you to take care of it!  And what did you do?  You left it to burn just like you left her!  You burden your poor sister for years with your incessant whining and then you have the gall to betray her?  You wicked little ingrate!"

"No!" Lina yelled with tears welling up in her eyes.  "Sis told me to run!  I wanted to help her, but… I… I couldn't," she explained weakly.  

************************************************************************

Zangulus stood in the middle of the street and eyed his surroundings warily.  He sighed and mumbled, "Damn it, what now?"

Gourry was on his hands and knees and looked to be cradling something in his arms.  His arms were empty though and, to Zangulus's shock, he had tears in his eyes.  Every few seconds, he would sob Lina's name and lean down to kiss his invisible burden.

The other man, the one with the white cloak, was curled up in a fetal position muttering, "I'm not a monster," over and over. His eyes were wide open but apparently saw nothing, as he wouldn't respond to Zangulus's voice.

The third person, a young girl in a colorful outfit, lay on the ground snoring loudly.  Apparently the fact that she was laying in the middle of the road on uneven stone didn't cause her any discomfort.  Neither did Zangulus's attempts to shake her out of her slumber.

Finally, there was Lina and her bloody adversary.  That was only way to describe the scene before Zangulus.  Lina glared straight ahead into the hate filled eyes of the bloody young boy.  He had his hands wrapped around her throat as he glared back at her.  

The boy had been wounded rather grievously, Zangulus noted.  A bloody gash ran from just under his right eye to his chin.  Another light wound marked the boy's abdomen.  But the worst of it was his shoulder.  It looked as if someone had gouged a large hole in his upper arm and blood flowed freely, staining his formerly blue shirt a bright red.

Zangulus snapped his fingers in front of Lina and the boy's faces.  Neither acknowledged him, instead focusing on their test of wills.  He began get even more concerned when he saw Lina start to cry and the boy grin evilly.  Apparently, Lina was losing whatever contest they were having.

"Damn it, I want some answers," Zangulus snarled as he drew his sword.  The boy seemed to be the most suspicious of the lot, so Zangulus put his sword to his throat.  He thought for a moment that the child's eye had twitched, but it might have been a trick of the light.  "Hey," he said gruffly.  "What are you doing to her?"  He reached out to grab the boy's shoulder when the child suddenly came to life.

"Zangulus, you bastard!" the Hellmaster snarled as he released his hold on Lina, "Can't you see that I'm trying to work?!"  He bit Zangulus's outstretched hand, drawing blood.  

Zangulus yelped in pain and snatched his hand back, minus a bit of flesh.  He took a step back and tried to raise his sword, but Phibrizzo had already pounced and was now attached to his chest.  "By Ceiphied!" he shouted as he dropped his sword.  Both of his hands were now occupied with the task of keeping the child's thrashing talons from reaching his eyes.

Phibrizzo giggled madly and leaned forward.  He opened his mouth to reveal bloodstained teeth and shrieked, "Got your nose!" before biting down hard on Zangulus's face.

Zangulus snarled and pulled Phibrizzo away from his face.  When the Hellmaster leaned forward to bite again, Zangulus flung his head forward and smashed the child's nose to a bloody pulp against his forehead.

Hellmaster was thrown free of Zangulus and landed roughly on his back.  He reached up to cup his gushing nose and snarled at Zangulus, "You son of a bitch!"  His voice had a nasal sound to it as he stated the obvious, "You broke my damn nose!"  He cocked his head as if listening to something and shouted, "Shut the hell up, Phibrizzo!  I'm sick of your whining!"  He prepared to pounce again, but Zangulus had recovered his sword making him think twice about it.

Zangulus wiped blood off his own injured nose and growled, "If you don't think that I'll kill a kid than go ahead and jump you little bastard!"  He stepped towards Phibrizzo and raised his sword.

Phibrizzo cowered like a cornered animal and hissed at Zangulus.

"No!" Lina yelled desperately, "Don't kill him Zangulus!"  She flung herself into Zangulus, knocking him off balance before his sword could fall.

"What?" Zangulus asked, briefly turning his attention away from his foe.  "Why not?!"

Lina glanced at the wounded Phibrizzo and said, "I have to try to save him!"

Xellos shook his head sadly and whispered, "Oh, Lina," before turning and disappearing from his vantage point on the roof.

Hellmaster grinned and prepared to pounce on the distracted swordsman, when a wave of dizziness overcame him.  He looked down and saw the puddle of blood forming at his feet.  He looked at his foes and saw, to his dismay that they were recovering from his manipulation.  He glanced at Gourry nervously.  Soon, the Sword of Light would be lit again and then…  "Oh damn," he muttered, "Guess it's time to retreat."  He waved at the group cheerily.  "Until next time," he chuckled, "Bye now!"  He turned and darted across the street into the darkened fairgrounds.

"Stop him!" Lina yelled as she took off after Phibrizzo.  

"Make up your mind," Zangulus retorted before running off after her.  After a moment the others followed.

Zanafar had just finished caging the animals for the evening and was headed back to his wagon for a rest when he saw a strange sight.  Amelia and some other people were chasing a wounded boy towards him.  

"Excuse me," Phibrizzo said calmly as he ducked under the legs of Zanafar.  "In a hurry."

Lina had a sudden flash of inspiration.  "Hey!  That kid took my coin purse!" she yelled while pointing at Phibrizzo.  "Stop him!"

Zanafar turned impossibly quickly for a man of his size and scooped the fleeing Phibrizzo up in one enormous hand.  He lifted the boy until they were face-to-face and rumbled, "Did you take that lady's money, little sir?"  He frowned and waved a finger the size of Phibrizzo's wrist in the boy's face.  "That's not a nice thing to do."

Amelia shouted, "Zanafar, don't do that!" but her warning came too late.

Zanafar had brought the childlike demon within striking distance.

Hellmaster hissed and thrust his clawed fingers into Zanafar's eyes, causing the giant to bellow like a wounded elephant.  He leapt from Zanafar's hand and landed roughly on the ground.  He rolled for a moment before coming to rest on his wounded shoulder.  He hissed in pain as he stood and resumed his escape, moving a little slower now.  "Okay," he begrudgingly admitted to the child screaming in his head, "It hurts a little."

Amelia stopped her pursuit and placed a comforting hand on Zanafar's arm.  She asked, "Zanafar, are you alright?"

"Forget him Amelia," Lina called over her shoulder as she continued the chase.  "We have to get Phibrizzo!"

Amelia stared at Lina uncomprehendingly.  How could she be so cruel?  She whispered, "But Zanafar…"

Zanafar growled in pain and shook his head.  "Don't worry about me little Amelia.  I'll be fine."  He blinked a couple of times, noting that he still had some vision in one eye at least. 

Zelgadis grabbed Amelia's hand and pulled her away from Zanafar before she could protest.  He growled, "If we don't stop him more people are going to die Amelia."

Hellmaster continued his conversation with himself as he scrambled over a fence and crossed another street.  He huffed, "I know it hurts.  But life hurts, you know?"  He bumped his shoulder on the wall as he ran into an alley.  Pain shot through his body.  "Be a man about it.  I mean, come on.  I've seen worse.  Hell, I've done worse."  He glanced over his shoulder and saw the Slayers enter the alley behind him.  He noted, to his displeasure, that they were gaining ground.  He yelled, "Damn it Phibrizzo!  Why are your legs so short?"  He saw a homeless man leaning against a wall ahead of him and smiled before nodding, "Yes, I know you're a child, but aren't you due for a growth spurt or something?  I mean, you're practically a midget!"  He pulled a handful of coins out of his pocket and scattered them as he ran past the homeless man.  "A gift from the Dark Lord," he hissed.

"Bless you son," the old-timer wheezed as he gathered the coins.

Hellmaster snarled, "Why does everyone say that?  Why can't people just say thank you?"  He ran out the other end of the alley and looked around for a moment.  He was getting tired and couldn't keep this up much longer.  He grinned when he saw a passing horse and carriage.  He sprinted into the street and leapt on the back of the cart.

Lina and the others plowed into the man crouching in the alley a moment later.  Chaos ensued.

Lina hissed in pain as the weight of four people came to rest on her injured back.  "Gourry, get off me!" she yelled as she struggled to get out from under the pile.  She turned to see the unlit Sword of Light inches from her face and said, "Hey!  Point that thing somewhere else!"  She saw Phibrizzo collapse in exhaustion on the back of a cart making its way down the street.  She slammed her fist down on the alley floor and yelled, "Damn it!  We're going to lose him!"

Gourry said, "Sorry, Lina, but…  Ow!  Zangulus your elbow's in my eye!"

"I can't help it," Zangulus snarled, "These two are about to break my arm!"  He glared at Zelgadis and Amelia who were above him in the pile.

"Amelia would you please get off of me?" Zelgadis implored.  "Why are you just sitting there?  You're on the top."

Amelia surveyed her surroundings and nodded, "Oh, right!"  She braced her foot in the middle of Zelgadis's back, much to his annoyance, and leapt forward off the mass of tangled limbs.  She hit the ground running and reached the street just in time to see the cart disappear into the night.

When Lina and the others finally made it out of the alley, the coach was long gone and so was the Hellmaster.

************************************************************************

"Now take it easy for a couple days and you'll be fine," Sylphiel said as she finished applying a bandage to the gash on Volun's forehead.  She sighed in exhaustion.  It had been a long day at the clinic and she was the last one still working.  

Sylphiel smiled at Volun warmly and helped him to his feet.  "Now isn't that better?"

Volun gingerly touched his injured head and grinned.  He said rather loudly, "That's amazing Miss Sylphiel."  He stood up and grabbed his helmet off a nearby table.  "I've never seen a better healer.  Not that the greatest guardsman in Sairaag often needs a healer, mind you.  Why just the other day I was facing down twenty, maybe even thirty villains when…"

Sylphiel chuckled as she pushed Volun towards the front door of the clinic.  She spoke loudly to be heard over his story, "That's very nice Mr. Volun!  Now if you don't mind, it's very late and I'd like to lock up for the evening."

Volun stopped talking for a moment and looked around with a concerned expression on his face.  He muttered, "You know, a young lady really shouldn't be out alone this late."  He smiled and said, "Perhaps you'd allow me the honor of escorting you home?"

Sylphiel shook her head and smiled.  "No thank you Mr. Volun.  I appreciate the offer, but my house is only a few blocks from here.  I'll be fine."

"Oh, well then perhaps you'd allow me to take you out for some dinner?  There's a really nice seafood place about a block away.  Maybe…?" he said leaving his question unfinished.

Sylphiel chuckled embarrassedly and struggled to push the much larger Volun out the door.  "No thank you.  I'm not terribly fond of seafood.  Besides, I ate a little while ago.  Have a good evening Mr. Volun," she said quickly before shutting the door in his face.

Volun's muffled voice could still be heard.  "Well…  How about some drinks?  There's this quiet place just down the street…"

"No thank you!  I don't drink!" Sylphiel called out as she leaned against the door.  She listened for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Volun's heavy footsteps moving down the street.  He was a nice enough man, but he was so loud and boisterous.  Nothing at all like her Gourry dear.  

Lost in thought, Sylphiel didn't think to lock the front door behind her.  She sighed and began to check the office to make sure that all the lights were out and the windows were shut.  She was checking the clinic's stock of bandages in the storeroom when she heard a loud crash in the front room.

Cautiously, Sylphiel poked her head out of the storeroom and looked around.

The front door was wide open revealing the dark street outside.  A gust of wind slammed it into the wall again making Sylphiel jump.

Sylphiel ran over to the door and struggled to push it shut.  She shivered slightly as the wind blew across her face.  It was strange for it to be so cold in the middle of summer.  She sighed in relief as she finally managed to shut the door and lock it.  She wondered briefly how the door had come open.  "You're being foolish," she chided herself as she put a hand on the wall to steady herself.  

There was something wet on the wall.

Sylphiel snatched her hand back as if it had been burned.  She looked down to see fresh blood on her palm.  "Oh my," she said, "Is that from Volun?"  But she knew it wasn't.  The blood wasn't even tacky yet.  It was from a few seconds ago at the most.  She looked at the wall and saw a bloody handprint.

A child's handprint.

"Sylphiel…" a voice hissed softly.

Sylphiel jumped at the sound before laughing nervously.  It had been the wind.  That had to be it.  The wind outside had picked up and it just sounded like someone was saying her name.  She looked at the bloody handprint nervously.  The wind certainly hadn't done that had it?

"Sylphiel…" the voice repeated from inside the room.

Sylphiel trembled as she turned from the door.  That hadn't been the wind.  Her eyes widened as she noticed the trail of dime-sized drops of blood on the floor.  She knelt down and, her hand shaking, reached out to touch one of the droplets.  Fresh.  Her eyes followed the blood trail behind the counter of the reception area.

Sylphiel briefly considered yanking the door open and running out into the street, but shook her head angrily.  If there was someone here, and that was almost certain by this point, they were wounded and needed her help.  That was what she was here for, right?  She cleared her throat and called out timidly, "Hello?"  Stood and took a cautious step towards the counter.  "Is someone there?"

The sound of labored breathing drifted out from the shadowy alcove.  

Sylphiel briefly wondered why they hadn't kept the area better lit as she took another step closer.  "Excuse me, are you hurt?" she asked leaning forward to look behind the counter.  She yelped in fear at a sudden movement from behind the counter.

A bloodstained hand slammed a knife down on the countertop.  After a moment, young boy's head, his hair matted with gore and his eyes feral, appeared in front of the startled Sylphiel.  He stared at her for a moment before smiling wildly.  He hissed, echoing her question, "Are we… hurt?"  With a grunt of pain Phibrizzo dragged himself the rest of the way onto the countertop revealing the sad injuries on his body.  He looked up at her, their faces mere inches from each other, and gasped, "What… do you think?!"

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Sylphiel in peril and the Slayers regroup.

Author Notes:  Hmm, does anyone actually read this part?  It sometimes feels like I'm rambling aimlessly (I am) and not making any sense at all (I don't).  Anyways, I enjoyed writing the bit about Luna and the whole segment about Lina's past.  The Gourry part was good too.  Reread the end of chapter 9 and you'll notice that the whole thing was pretty much told from Gourry's perspective.

Reviewer Response:

Slash, it's not easy updating as much as I do.  I'm starting to slow down a bit so no more two chapters a week unless I enter another obsessive writing frenzy.  You didn't believe that Lina was dead, huh?  I thought it was pretty convincing myself.

Dragonet, yep she came back.  Never went away really.

Pogo, thanks for the chocolates!  No Zelas yet, but who knows right?

Miss Gabriev, it was creepy huh?  Cool!  Glad you liked the Phibby bit, and hope you enjoyed him in this chapter.

Zaber, don't you ever stop?!  Call Xellos off please!  Although I must admit, I do like a good roller coaster.

Otaku girl, you must have really enjoyed chapter 8 huh?  *snickers*  Lina and Sylphiel scenes?  Hmm, I don't know.  Things are looking pretty dark for Sylphiel don't you think?


	11. Hunting the demon

"Lina?" Gourry said quietly.  He could sense that something was wrong.  She was walking slowly, without any of the self-confidence he had come to expect of her.  "Lina," he repeated, putting a hand on her shoulder.  "You're wound's open again."

Lina shrugged Gourry's hand off angrily and muttered, "I don't care Gourry.  It's not too bad."

Gourry sighed in resignation and put his hands in his pockets.  He said, "Well, I care Lina."

"Thanks," Lina whispered.  "It's nice that someone does."  She cleared her throat and asked, "So… what did Hellmaster show you back there?  I heard you say my name."  She chuckled dryly before continuing, "Do I really scare you that much?"

Gourry quickly shook his head and replied, "No Lina.  It wasn't like that at all.  I thought…"  He remembered Lina lying dead in the street and shuddered before continuing, "I thought that I'd lost you."

"Lost me?" Lina whispered to herself.  She could feel her face getting hot.  "Your greatest fear was losing… me?" she asked as she stole a quick glance at her blond companion.  She quickly turned away when she saw him smiling at her.  "So," she said, trying to keep the happiness out of her voice,  "I guess you were worried about me, huh?"

Gourry nodded and smiled at Lina.  "Well yeah.  I am your protector you know."

"Oh," Lina said quickly.  "So it wasn't really about losing me.  You were afraid of failing to keep your promise, right?" She nodded and sighed, "That makes sense.  Well, I'm sorry you were worried, Gourry."  Stepping up her pace slightly she mumbled, "Come on, it's almost dawn.  We're supposed to meet the others pretty soon."

"Um…" Gourry said as he pondered the memory.  Would it really have been the same if he had lost someone else, someone like Amelia, Zelgadis, or even Sylphiel?  He shook his head determinedly.  No, he decided quickly.  Even if he had promised to protect one of them it wouldn't have been the same as losing Lina.  "Hey Lina," he said quickening his pace to match hers, "I don't think you understand."

"Never mind, Gourry," Lina mumbled.  She crossed her arms and looked down at the street in front of her.  "Let's just concentrate on finding Phibrizzo, okay?"

"Well, alright Lina," Gourry said as he watched Lina slump a little more.  Was she tired?  He briefly considered asking her but decided that if she was tired, she probably didn't want to talk.

They walked on in silence as darkness began to become light.

************************************************************************

"I still don't understand why Lina stopped me from killing him," Zangulus muttered. "Wouldn't that have solved everything?" he asked Zelgadis.

Zelgadis shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not.  The Hellmaster isn't what you would call a run of the mill demon you know.  Still it would have at least set him back if we had killed his body."

Amelia interjected, "His body, Mr. Zelgadis?"

Zelgadis nodded and said, "That's right.  Demons don't have a physical body of their own.  To enter our world they have to have a corporeal form.  Possession is often the easiest way of attaining that form."

Amelia thought for a moment before continuing, "So what you're saying is that the form he's using is actually a little boy?"  She glared at Zelgadis and Zangulus as she continued, "And you want to kill that child?!  How could you be so heartless Mr. Zangulus?  And you too Mr. Zelgadis!"

Zangulus growled, "Get off my back!  I did save you people you know."

"As you've reminded us several times…" Zelgadis muttered under his breath.

"Oh dear, what seems to be the problem here?" Xellos asked as he stepped out of the shadows.

Zelgadis glared at him momentarily before growling and continuing on down the street.

"Mr. Xellos?" Amelia said quizzically.  "What are you doing here?"

Xellos shrugged and grinned.  "Oh, you know.  I was just out for my morning walk when I heard voices."

"Morning walk?" Zangulus muttered while looking up at the sky.  The night was barely becoming pink in the east.  He turned his suspicious gaze back on the priest and asked, "Who takes a walk at five in the morning?"

Xellos looked momentarily startled but then grinned again.  He massaged his neck and said, "Oh you know, we old timers don't sleep very well and my joints ache pretty badly sometimes.  I'd hate to waste the time tossing and turning in bed so I walk instead."

"Oh that's too bad," Amelia said as she rushed to Xellos's side and gingerly took his arm.  She sounded concerned as she yelled in his ear, "Do you need any help sir?"

Xellos looked at Amelia nervously and said, "Miss Amelia, I said that I was elderly, not deaf.  However, I do appreciate the sentiment."

Zelgadis snorted and muttered, "Elderly my ass."  He remembered how easily Xellos had made a fool of him back at the church.  He opened his mouth to call his bluff on the elderly old man act, but saw Xellos grinning at him.  Then he remembered the priest calling him Lord Greywords.  If he revealed what he knew about Xellos, he was sure that the priest would reciprocate in kind.  "Damn it," he mumbled angrily.  "Well," he said loudly, "I'm sure that you have some reason for showing up right now, don't you 'old man?"

Amelia blinked at Zelgadis, startled by his rudeness.  She admonished him, "Mr. Zelgadis!  Why are you so suspicious?  It's obvious that Mr. Xellos is here because his back hurts too much to sleep."  She stole a quick glance at Xellos before whispering loudly to Zelgadis, "Besides, he might not even know where he is, so be nice to him."

Xellos frowned, "Um, Miss Amelia I can hear you, you know."

Zelgadis laughed out loud at that idea.  He snickered, "You're right Amelia.  We should be nicer to the old timer."  He pointed down the street and shouted in Xellos's other ear, "Sir, are you lost?  The old folk's home is right down the street!"

Xellos scowled for a moment before grinning again.  He replied, just as loudly, "No, thank you sonny!  I was actually looking for the Greywords home!"

Zelgadis had a look of utter horror on his face.

"Do you know him?" Xellos asked as he looked around at the surrounding buildings, "Lord Greywords?  He's one of our fine city officials."  He stroked his chin and pretended to ponder for a moment.  "What was his first name again?  Being so old, I tend to forget these things you know."  He snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "Oh, I remember now!  It was Zelg-ack!"

"Zelgack?" Amelia repeated doubtfully.  She turned to Zangulus and asked, "Do you know a Zelgack?"

Zangulus shook his head.

Zelgadis had clamped the priest in a vicious headlock to silence him.  He hissed in Xellos's ear, "What the hell are you doing?!  I thought that you said you were my ally."

"True," Xellos said nodding painfully in Zelgadis's grip.

"Then why are you trying to blow my cover?" Zelgadis demanded while shaking the priest by the neck.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Xellos pouted.  "You hurt my feelings."

"Hurt your-" Zelgadis muttered until he saw the priest grinning at him.  He growled, "What in the hell is wrong with you?!  Do you think I'm someone to be trifled with Xellos?"

"Honestly?" Xellos said with a smirk.  "I'd have to say…"

"Never mind," Zelgadis hissed as he released his grip on the priest.  He sighed, "You're obviously not going to leave us alone until you get what you want, so why exactly are you here?"

Xellos nodded happily as he straightened his wrinkled cloak.  He opened an amethyst eye and said, "Well its obvious isn't it?  I'm here to help.  Given your rather," Xellos eyed the teeth marks in Zangulus's nose as he continued, "embarrassing encounter with the Hellmaster, I thought that might give you some advice."

"And how do you know about that Mr. Xellos?" Amelia asked.  "Nobody's seen him for a thousand years, right?"  She chuckled and said, "You can't be that old can you?"

Xellos twitched at Amelia's question.  He quickly laughed and said, "Oh my heavens, certainly not, Miss Amelia!  I am merely a humble priest with an interest in ancient history."  Seeing that Zelgadis was going to make some comment, he quickly continued, "A thousand years ago, the Hellmaster possessed a scholar by the name of Lei Magnus.  He spread terror throughout the land and killed many innocents before he was finally felled by a heroic priest by the name of Rezo."

"Heroic?" Zelgadis snorted derisively.

Xellos glared at Zelgadis and muttered angrily, "Yes, I believe that's what I said Lord Greywords.  May I continue?"

Zelgadis's eyes narrowed at the mention of his title.  Glancing quickly at his companions, he noted that they both seemed to be too engrossed in Xellos's story to notice the mention of his name.  He leaned up against a building and scowled at the priest for a moment before turning away to watch the approaching dawn.

Xellos nodded.  "Thank you.  As I was saying, the virtuous Rezo and the Hellmaster fought for a day and a night before the demon finally fell before the Sword of Light."

Zangulus removed his hat and scratched his head.  He muttered, "Alright, now I'm completely lost.  What's a Sword of Light?"

Amelia shook her head and said, "We'll explain later, Mr. Zangulus."  She walked over to where Zelgadis was standing and sat down beside him before looking at Xellos expectantly.  "Please continue, Mr. Xellos."

Xellos nodded at the acrobat gratefully before continuing, "Thank you Miss Seyruun.  Now the Sword of Light…"

Amelia blinked in surprise.  Had she told Xellos what her last name was?  Or had he been at the circus and just assumed that she was a Seyruun?  She shook her head in bewilderment.  That didn't make any sense either.  Not all of the performers were members of her family, so…  Zelgadis's angry voice startled her out of her musings and she looked up at him.

"The Sword of Light is the only way to kill Hellmaster?"  Zelgadis shook his head angrily and growled, "You're mistaken Xellos.  We wounded Hellmaster without ever using the Sword of Light."

"Oh?  I seem to recall that you were cowering on the ground Zelgadis."  Xellos shook his head and smirked.  "Hardly what I would call wounding him.  What you hurt was the Hellmaster's host, Phibrizzo.  Had you killed him, it's true that you would have temporarily set the Hellmaster's plans back, but he would have quickly found another host.  No, the Sword of Light is the only thing that can banish Hellmaster from this world."

Amelia raised her hand politely and asked, "Just what is the Hellmaster's plan Mr. Xellos?  You seem to know a lot about what happened last time.  Do you have any idea what he's trying to do?"

Xellos opened his mouth, but quickly shut it again.  He coughed and muttered, "I… I can't tell you that, Miss Amelia."

Zangulus drew his sword and growled, "Can't tell us or won't, priest?  You do seem to know a lot about these incidents.  The City Guard hasn't had a lead in this case for weeks and you suddenly drop in and explain everything?  That's suspicious behavior if I've ever seen it."

Xellos gulped nervously as he eyed the point of Zangulus's sword.  He quickly said, "You know, it is a capital crime to threaten a priest of Ceiphied."  He tried to surreptitiously direct the sword away from his throat with the tip of his finger, but the guard was having none of it.  

Zangulus shook his head angrily.  "Don't change the subject!  You're hiding something.  Maybe you're that kid's partner.  Or maybe you're something even worse."

Zelgadis smirked, taking immense satisfaction in Xellos's discomfort.  He nodded in agreement with Zangulus.  "That's quite true.  You do seem awfully well informed for a simple priest, especially about knowledge hidden away in the Slayers' archive."

"Well yes, that is true," Xellos chuckled and held up his hands defensively.  "But if you stop and think about it, does it really matter how I know what I know?"

Zelgadis and Zangulus looked at each other briefly before nodding.

Zangulus shrugged, "Yeah."

"I'd have to concur," said Zelgadis.

"Oh dear," Xellos muttered nervously as the two men advanced on him.

************************************************************************

The Hellmaster rotated his freshly bandaged shoulder and winced in pain.  It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been though.  He looked at Sylphiel and grinned.  "Young lady, you are a credit to you profession.  I've never seen better work."  He closed his eyes and touched Sylphiel's mind again.  "So pure," he muttered happily.  "You're lucky that I found you Sylphiel.  You're going to be the centerpiece in my display.  Isn't that exciting?"  He stroked her cheek lovingly, leaving a trace of drying blood.

Sylphiel continued to unwind gauze as if she hadn't heard Phibrizzo's words.  Tears streamed down her face as she stared ahead blankly.  She was alone.  Hellmaster had shown her the truth.  Nobody loved her.  The world moved by without giving her a second thought.  She was quite worthless and hardly worth noting.

Phibrizzo frowned and snapped his fingers in front of Sylphiel's face eliciting absolutely no reaction from the woman.  He growled, "Hey!  Are you even listening to me?"  He shook his head and sighed, "No, I suppose you're not.  I really hope that I haven't broken you just yet.  I'd hate for you to miss the festivities."  He cocked his head as if listening to some silent voice before grinning wickedly.  "Is that hope I sense?  You silly girl!  Do you think your 'Gourry dear' is going to ride in on a white horse to save you?"

Sylphiel nodded silently with just a hint of a smile on her face.  Her eyes shined with determination behind the tears as she began to tend to the gash on Phibrizzo's cheek.  Despite controlling her mind, he had not broken her spirit.

Phibrizzo laughed until tears were streaming down his cheeks.  "Oh, that is rich!"  Getting his giggles under control, he leaned over and softly whispered into Sylphiel's ear, "I hate to tell you this, but 'Gourry dear' won't be coming for you.  Why would he?  He doesn't love you Sylphiel."

Doubt quickly replaced the smile on Sylphiel's face.  She continued to impassively swab the wound on Phibrizzo's cheek as she reluctantly listened to his words.

"Don't believe me?  Here, let me show you," Phibrizzo gloated.  He sent a mental image of Gourry weeping over Lina's body in a moonlit street to Sylphiel.  "Whoops," he snickered, "That's not you he's holding is it?  Why it appears as if 'Gourry dear' has more important things on his mind than you Sylphiel."  His grin faded and he shook his head in mock sadness.  "No, I'm afraid that there won't be any knight in shining armor coming for you."  He lovingly cupped her chin in his hand and said, "And now that we have that nonsense out of the way, it's time to get down to business.  Let's see…"  He looked around for a moment before grinning.  "There it is!"  He picked his knife up from the bedside table before turning back to his prey.  "I find that humans and vermin have a lot in common.  Show them some cheese and they'll both run through the maze without a second thought.  They never see the cat until it's too late."

Sylphiel sat passively with her hands in her lap as Phibrizzo laid cold steel against her cheek.  All she could think about was Gourry holding that other woman.

Phibrizzo whispered, "Now we just have to bait our trap," as he began to cut.

************************************************************************

"Leave him alone!" Amelia protested angrily as she inserted herself between Xellos and the others.  "He's trying to help!"

Zelgadis shook his head impatiently.  "Don't you think it's strange that Xellos knows what he does?  You don't know anything about him."

"I know that Mr. Xellos helped us make the Sword of Light work back at the church.  And he's trying to help us now," Amelia said as she glared at Zelgadis.  "So leave him alone."

"You're kidding right?" Zangulus asked.  "This guy basically came out and told us the whole plot and you're going to let him walk away?"

Zelgadis looked at Xellos who was grinning at him happily.  He shook his head and sighed, "Amelia, he's not trustworthy."

"And who is?" Amelia retorted angrily.  She crossed her arms and pouted, "You're so suspicious of everyone, both of you!"

"An excellent point, Miss Amelia!" Xellos added with a nod.  "I think that it's just horrid that people are so suspicious of each other these days."  He sniffled as he continued, "Especially when they suspect a poor old man who just wants to do something worthwhile in the twilight of his life.  Besides," he said as he watched Zelgadis pull his hood up, "everyone has their secrets don't they?"

Zelgadis scowled at Xellos momentarily before pulling his mask over his face.  The sun had just come over the horizon and it was beginning to become uncomfortable.  He looked at his companions and growled, "I have to go.  Tell Lina that I'll meet her tonight."  He turned to leave, but was stopped by the sound of Amelia's voice.

"You're leaving?  But why Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia asked a touch of disappointment in her voice.

Zelgadis's eyes narrowed briefly as he thought.  "I have… other obligations that require my attention.  Don't forget to tell Lina what I said."  He turned to leave but stopped after taking a single step.  He looked over his shoulder at Amelia and cleared his throat nervously.  "Amelia?  Will you be all right?"

Amelia blinked at him in surprise and asked, "What do you mean?"

Zelgadis adjusted his hood and muttered, "It's just that you should never have been involved in this thing with the Hellmaster and I, well I…"  He shrugged hopelessly, unable to find a way to voice his concerns.  He was helpless, unable to stay, unwilling to leave.  The rising sun felt like an open flame on the bit of his face not concealed beneath his hood.

Xellos watched Zelgadis suffer briefly before smiling knowingly.  He nodded at the cloaked figure reassuringly.  No harm would befall Amelia while Zelgadis rested.  He stepped a bit closer to the acrobat to emphasize his point.

Amelia smiled at Zelgadis shyly and said, "I'll be fine Mr. Zelgadis.  You do what you have to do."

Zelgadis felt a wave of relief wash over him.  Despite Xellos's mysterious nature, he knew that he could trust him with this task.  Cold neutrality replaced the confusion on his face and he nodded at the priest tersely.  Sparing a last glance at Amelia, he turned and disappeared into the retreating shadows.

"What's his problem?" Zangulus muttered as he watched Zelgadis retreat down a narrow side street.

Xellos just smiled.

************************************************************************

Zelgadis moved with unnatural speed down the rapidly brightening alleyway.  He'd been away from home for too long this time.  His entire body was awash in agony as the morning light caught up to him.  Snarling defiantly at the sun rising behind his back, he increased his pace yet again, his feet striking the grime coated alley floor silently.

Zelgadis cursed his stupidity.  Why had he lingered so long?  He should have left an hour ago.  At this moment he should have been back in the darkness slipping into dreamless sleep.  He nodded angrily.  Yes, that was what he should have been doing.

Why then, Zelgadis asked himself angrily, was he fleeing the dawn?  Xellos, he thought angrily.  The priest had shown up and delayed him.  Somehow, the priest had known Zelgadis's true nature.  Somehow…

Zelgadis shook his head angrily.  No.  That wasn't the reason and he knew it.  It was the girl.  "Amelia," he whispered softly.   That was why he had stayed, to watch over Amelia.  "Damn that fortuneteller," he growled.  Martina had called him "the lover".  Obviously, that had flustered him somewhat.  

Not that he believed it, Zelgadis told himself as he easily leapt over a high fence separating the street from the cemetery.  He darted down the overgrown path he had known for years.  People had a habit of forgetting the dead quickly in Sairaag.  Twenty paces in from the fence he hopped over a marker concealed by tall grass.  It used to trip him every time he came through here.  He looked up and smiled warily.  "Home," he muttered.

Standing before Zelgadis was the crypt of Rezo the Red, the only high priest to be born in Sairaag.  An enormous statue of a priest holding a sword glared down from atop the entryway to the vault.

As was his routine, Zelgadis spat on the ground before the tomb before entering.  He had no respect for the fallen high priest.  With the last of his ebbing strength, he shoved the door open just far enough to allow him to slip past into the blessed darkness.

"Master Zelgadis!" Zolf called out worriedly as he ran to his master's side.  He took Zelgadis's arm to support him and helped him down the stairs.

Normally Zelgadis would have protested, but his strength was spent.  If Zolf hadn't been helping him, he would have gladly tumbled down the stairs unconscious.

"My lord, I was worried about you," Zolf said as he helped Zelgadis to his throne.  "When you didn't come back before dawn, I-"

Zelgadis waved dismissively and sighed, "You needn't worry.  I do enough of that for both of us.  I've pushed myself a little too hard this time."  He collapsed in utter exhaustion on the cold stone.  He closed his eyes and muttered, "Leave me Zolf.  I hunger."  He heard his most loyal servant quickly scurry away.

Finally alone, Zelgadis let all vestiges of civility fall away.  He ripped his clothes from his body revealing raw pink skin that was peeling due to his extended exposure to the sun.  He slid off his throne and knelt on the cool floor.  Silently, he sent out a command.   

Summoned by their master, dozens of rats scurried out of the corners of the room converging on the kneeling Zelgadis.  They crawled across his still form, squeaking shrilly in the dark.

Suddenly Zelgadis's eyes flew open and he snatched one of the filthy beasts from off his shoulder.  He quickly tore into its belly with his teeth, both savoring and detesting the coppery taste of blood.  Finishing with the first of the vermin, he flung it into the gloom and grabbed another.  

Zelgadis fed and his injured flesh slowly began to mend.

************************************************************************

Lina sighed as she watched the sunrise.  Her body hurt all over, she was totally exhausted, and on top of that they hadn't seen any sign of the Hellmaster since he escaped from them the previous night.  A bolt of pain shot up her back as she turned to face Gourry.  She smiled wearily when she saw the swordsman fast asleep on his feet.  "Hey," she said quietly.

Gourry blinked sleepily and looked around before focusing his gaze on Lina.  He tried to stifle a yawn before grinning at her.  "Hey," he said in return.  "What time is it?"

"It's time to take a rest Gourry," Lina said tiredly.  "We're not going to find the Hellmaster like this."  She looked around hopelessly.  The citizens of Sairaag were beginning to go about their daily business.  Even if the Hellmaster hadn't found a hiding place yet, it would be next to impossible to find him in the steadily growing crowd.

"Well, at least we know what he looks like, right?" Gourry said hopefully as he looked around one last time.  "Don't worry Lina.  We'll find him again."

Lina nodded and forced a smile.  "Right."  She didn't mention that if Hellmaster killed again, and he almost certainly would, it would be her fault.  She could have killed him during their confrontation, but pity had stayed her hand.

That boy, Phibrizzo, had sounded so hurt and scared when Hellmaster had let him out.  Lina couldn't bring herself to kill an innocent child.  She thought for a moment before nodding determinedly.  She'd save him.  It was as simple as that.  Somehow, she was going to save that child from the Hellmaster.

A tall wiry man with an eye patch roughly shoved Lina aside as he moved hastily down the street.

Lina yelped as she fell back into Gourry's arms.  She shook a fist at the retreating man and yelled, "Hey, watch where you're going you big oaf!"

The large man turned and glared at the young punk that had insulted him with his one good eye.  Then he looked up at the large muscular swordsman that was scowling at him and smiled nervously.  "Sorry Miss," he mumbled as he made a hasty retreat.

Lina looked up at Gourry with a grin on her face.  "Maybe it's not so bad having a protector," she begrudgingly admitted.  "I could have taken him though."

"Sure you could have."  Gourry smiled and hefted Lina up into a sitting position on his shoulder.  He jokingly asked, "Is that better little girl?"

"Gourry…" Lina muttered dangerously as she glared down at the swordsman.

Gourry chuckled.  "Just kidding Lina, you can see a lot better from up there right?  Look for that kid."

Lina nodded and scanned the crowd of people.  "It shouldn't be too hard, right?" she muttered.  "Just find the kid that looks like he got run over by a wagon full of knives."  She pointed down the street dramatically and said, "Move out Gourry!  We'll never find anything just standing here."

"Right," Gourry said enthusiastically.  A few moments later, he was easily maneuvering through the crowd.  "Where are we off to captain?" he asked.  

"Sylphiel's," Lina answered.  "We're meeting the others there remember?"  She sighed contentedly as Gourry continued on his way down the street.  She closed her eyes briefly and savored the warmth of the morning sun on her face.  Being out here in the daylight made the events of the previous night seemed like a bad dream.  It really was fun being carried around she thought.  It was almost as if she were royalty or something.  She looked down at the crowd and grinned.  And these people were her subjects.  "All hail Queen Lina!" she called out to the masses.

Gourry raised an eyebrow.  "Queen Lina?" he asked with a grin.  

"That's right," Lina said with a happy nod.  She began to wave regally to the people in the street around her.

"Maybe the queen would like to get back to work?" Gourry suggested.

Lina pouted briefly.  "You're no fun, you know that Gourry?"

"Sorry, but this isn't really the best time to be playing around."

Lina sighed and slumped slightly.  "It's okay Gourry.  Sometimes I think that if I didn't laugh, I'd never stop crying, you know?"

Gourry thought for a second before nodding.  "I guess that makes sense.  Just worrying about that kid won't do us any good, right?"

Lina nodded determinedly.  "Right."  She looked down at Gourry and tentatively reached out to touch his long blond hair.  "So," she said hesitantly, "about you and Sylphiel…"

"What about her?" Gourry asked as he nimbly sidestepped to get out of the path of a much larger man.  

"Well," Lina muttered, the color of her face rapidly changing to match her hair, "are the two of you, you know, serious?"  A little more boldly now, she stroked his hair.  She glanced up and her eyes widened in shock.  She held her hands up and quickly stammered, "Gourry, stop!  Hold on a sec-"

The painful sound of a human skull making forceful contact with a wooden sign cut Lina off.

"Hmm?"  Gourry stopped and looked up at the sign.  It was swinging rather wildly.  Was it really that windy out today?  It depicted a comically drawn dragon with a chef's hat stirring a large pot.  He read the name written under the illustration silently.

The Dragon Slave Tavern 

_We slave over a hot stove so you don't have to!_

The sound of laughter emanated from the building.  Apparently they were open for breakfast.  

Gourry's stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since yesterday.  Breakfast would really hit the spot right now.  He looked up at Lina and said, "Hey Lina, do you want to stop for some…  Oh boy."  He saw a knot forming on the unconscious girl's forehead and quickly decided that breakfast wasn't an option.  Hell, even being around when Lina woke up would be a bad idea.  Grimacing in anticipation of the punishment that she would almost certainly be giving him, he hastily made his way down the street towards Sylphiel's clinic.

************************************************************************

"And you're sure that it's safe?" Zangulus asked for the twentieth time in as many minutes.  He looked at the priest and acrobat warily.  If that demon were to come back after he left, he didn't think that an old man and a ditzy circus performer would be able to put up much of a fight.

"Oh, we'll be just fine." Xellos said cheerfully.  "See?" he said pointing up the street at the approaching Gourry.  "There's Lina and Gourry now.  We'll be fine."

Amelia smiled.  "Thanks for staying Mr. Zangulus.  You were a big help."

Zangulus nodded and frowned.  He turned and strode off through the crowd towards the guard station.  He sighed in frustration.  How was he going to explain to the captain that the string murders that had stumped the entire department had been committed by a ten year old?  "He's going to eat me alive," he muttered.

Xellos grinned cheerfully and waved to Gourry.  "Hello!  I see Lina finally fell asleep, huh?  I guess that much excitement was too much for her."

Gourry chuckled nervously and muttered, "Yeah I guess you could say that.  Let's get her inside."

The group entered Sylphiel's office together.  A moment later, Amelia screamed.

************************************************************************

"Oooh, my head…" Lina groaned as she opened her eyes.  She grumbled, "Why does this always happen to me?"  She shook her head a couple times before focusing on the blond swordsman standing over her.  "Gourry," she growled.  

Gourry had a grave expression on his face.  He shook his head and whispered to Lina, "No time for that Lina."  He nodded at something to Lina's left.  "Look."

Lina blinked in surprise.  Usually Gourry would be backing away from her nervously at this point.  Didn't he understand how much trouble he was in?  She sighed and looked over at what he had pointed at.  "Oh," she said flatly.  There was really nothing else to say about it.

The room that Lina had spent the night in last night was a shambles of broken bottles and smashed furniture.  Rolls of gauze had been unrolled and flung haphazardly about the area.  Spelled out on the far wall in drying blood was a brief message.

_L.I._

_Go home._

_H._

"Look," Gourry said as he bent down to pick something up off the floor.  He turned and held it up for Lina's inspection.

Lina squinted at it briefly.  At first glance, she had thought that it was a dead serpent or something.  It was about a foot long and a glossy black color.  A moment later, she realized what it was that she was looking at.

It was a bloody lock of Sylphiel's hair.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  A message at home

Reader Response:

Otaku Girl, I thought that you just really liked chapter 8.  Just kidding.  Thanks for reading.

You guessed right Miss Gabriev.  Zel's not a big fan of the sun.  Yep, the kid's name is Phibrizzo.

Slash, that's just not true.  I've seen plenty of stories without protagonists, like uh…  I'll get back to you on that.

Stara, you weren't buying the whole "Lina's dead" bit huh?  And how was the next chapter a giveaway?  Maybe Hellmaster was triumphant.  Nope, I've never read the Japanese mangas.  What happens in the #8?  And Sylphiel expendable?  There's no such thing as an expendable character.  Some are just less vital than others.

Pogo, you thought that our heroes recovered too quickly huh?  They wouldn't be bone crushing heroes if they spent the rest of the night curled up on the ground shaking would they?

CT, did you read 9 & 10 at the same time?  That's cheating!  And things look pretty bad for Sylphiel don't they?

Dragonet, there aren't any dragons in the story besides Ceiphied himself.  There are demons, but… um well, it's kinda long.  Chapter 12 will have a lot of information on the gods and demons, so just be patient for a little longer, okay?  As for Xellos, he's not the same as he is in the regular Slayers series.  Here he's just a normal unassuming priest.  He just happens to be very old.  Yeah, that's right.

Masaki, I hope the next chapter won't be your last either.  Nice try, but I can't tell you what Sylphiel's final fate will be.

As always, thanks to Boo for her beta reading.  


	12. History retold

Everyone stared at the message on the wall briefly before turning to Lina.

"What does it mean, Miss Lina?" Amelia asked nervously.  

Lina opened her mouth to speak but quickly snapped it shut again.  She hesitantly shook her head and muttered, "I don't know."  She saw Xellos give her a startled glance.  She looked back at him, willing him to stay silent.  "I have no idea what Hellmaster is trying to tell us," she lied easily.  "I don't really have a home.  I've been on the road for most of my life you know."

Gourry stared at Lina, pondering her words.  "Lina," he said questioningly.  Hadn't she said something about having a sister that lived in Sairaag?

"Anyway," Lina quickly said trying to keep Gourry from continuing, "I need to think about this for a while.  Besides," she said with a false smile, "you guys have more important things to do than running after a demon anyway.  That's my job you know."  She nodded at Amelia.  "You have work to do at the circus, don't you?"

Amelia nodded hesitantly.  "Yeah, I do.  But-"

"Right!" Lina exclaimed as she turned to Gourry.  "You've got to go to work pretty soon don't you?  The people aren't going to protect themselves and besides that, doubtful as it might be, you might hear something useful at the station."

Gourry frowned and muttered, "But Sylphiel…"

Lina nodded and said, "I know Gourry.  We're going to get her back.  I promise."  She tried to find something else in the room to occupy her attention so that she didn't have to see Gourry's sad expression anymore.  Thankfully, Xellos was still there.  "Xellos…" she muttered.

Xellos nodded cheerfully.  "Right Lina, say no more!  I'm sure I have something important to do back at the church."  He shrugged and added, "And if I don't, I'll make something up!"

"And as for you Zelgadis… Hey, where's Zel?" Lina asked as she glanced around the room.  The enigmatic man was nowhere to be seen.

"He had to leave," Amelia said with just a hint of sadness in her voice.  "He did say that he'd see you tonight though."

"Right," Lina said with a wink.  "You all need to be going too, I'm sure."  She stood up and began to shoo the rest of the group out of the room.  "I'll get back to you as soon as I find something out, okay?"  Without waiting for an answer she grinned and said, "Okay then!  Bye!" before slamming the door in their faces.

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A few small candles were all that illuminated Vrumugun's office in the church basement.  As one of the senior members of the Sairaag chapter of the Slayers, he was given a small "office" in which to deal with the church red tape that invariably came his way.  He looked around the room briefly and snorted in disdain.

Vrumugun would have had more personal space in a prison cell.  The walls were slick with moisture and smelled faintly like mold.  Jammed into the corner were a rickety desk and a stool that was missing one of its four legs.  Along one wall was a small bookshelf that held the Slayer's meager personal effects.  

A cheap gold chain, given to him by a mother long forgotten, was lying on the shelf.  Alongside it was a small family portrait that was so faded that one would be hard pressed to tell that it had once depicted a happy family.  Now, the moisture had all but destroyed the image in the frame.

Vrumugun stared at the picture and briefly tried to recall what his life had been like before he entered the service of the church.  He quickly shook his head, dismissing the past.  A Slayer had no past.  When he had learned the truth about the creatures of the night, the church had required that he sever all ties with family and friends.  He had done so gladly, eager for the opportunity to smite evil.  He chuckled dryly.  How foolishly idealistic he had been back then.

The truth was that the life of a Slayer was an unending loop.  In addition to having no past, there was no hope for a future either.  A Slayer was a Slayer until death.  There was no retirement, no light at the end of the tunnel.  The church couldn't risk allowing a Slayer out of the Order.  There was only death.  Death in the streets or death by old age.  

Staring at the faded picture, Vrumugun wondered, not for the first time, what he had given up when he had taken his oath.  He sighed and turned back to his work.  He was penning a letter to the capitol.  He was certain that Lord Greywords had been assisting Lina Inverse and her allies last night.  Now the High Priest would have to be notified…

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Lina walked down the street alone, lost in her thoughts.  She briefly considered going back to the inn for some sleep but decided not to after some thought.  Hellmaster would probably know where she had been staying and it wasn't safe anymore.  

Besides, there was Sylphiel to worry about too.  She probably wasn't sleeping right now.  Somehow, Lina knew that she was alive though.  That was why Hellmaster had left that bit of Sylphiel's hair back at the clinic.  

Hellmaster was luring Lina in.  Not that it was really necessary.  Lina would have pursued him to the ends of the earth even if he hadn't taken another hostage.  The pained look on Phibrizzo's face was still fresh on her mind.  That child had never asked for this, neither had Sylphiel.  It was always the innocent that suffered in these situations.

Lina shook her head angrily as she cut through an alley.  How had she ended up fighting someone as powerful as the Hellmaster?  For that matter, how had she managed to get involved with all of these people?  

Things had been so simple before.  Before she had arrived in Sairaag, it was a rarity for her to speak to anyone, let alone make friends.  It wasn't all that bad the more that she thought about it.  She'd met Gourry, hadn't she?  He was nice enough.  He wasn't a genius or anything, but it was kind of nice to have someone ask her questions.  It made her feel important.  Like someone actually cared about her and what happened to her.  She sighed happily, thinking about her protector.

And Zel, he was a little rough at first and Lina still didn't know everything about him, but she had a feeling that he wasn't a bad person.  She'd seen how he'd looked at Amelia.  Despite the fact that he had used Lina as a human projectile, it was kind of cute to see him get flustered over the acrobat.

Lina giggled as she continued to ponder her newfound friends.  Then there was Amelia.  She was nice, Lina thought.  A little scary with the love and justice stuff, but nice just the same.

Lina sighed.  And finally there was Sylphiel.  Even though she had only met the girl a couple nights ago and under rather unpleasant circumstances on top of that, Lina found herself liking the healer.  She'd helped Lina without the slightest hint of jealousy or resentment about Gourry.  No wonder the swordsman loved her, Lina thought.  She was perfect.  "Gourry," she whispered sadly.

Gourry asked, "What Lina?"

Lina jumped at the sound of the voice behind her.  She turned and grabbed Gourry by the front of his shirt and shook him violently.  She snarled, "Damn it Gourry!  Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry, I thought that you heard me," the swordsman said apologetically as he fought to keep his balance after the shaking Lina had just given him.  "Is something wrong?" he asked, noting that she was staring at him confusedly.

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Lina snapped.  "I thought that you had to go into work."

"Nope, I quit," Gourry said with a dismissive wave.  

"You quit?!" Lina said incredulously.  "Why would you do something like that?"

Gourry frowned and sighed, "Because I can't stop thinking about it Lina."

"Thinking about what?" Lina asked quietly.  Something was really bothering Gourry.  He seemed deadly serious for once and in all honesty, it scared her a little.

Gourry fixed his solemn gaze upon Lina and said, "I can't stop thinking about what I saw last night.  I thought that you were dead Lina.  I never want to see anything like that again."  He shrugged.  "So, this morning after we split up I went down to the station and quit."  He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.  "I can't protect you if I'm not with you all the time, you know."

Lina pretended to cough and covered her mouth to conceal her smile.  "You know Gourry," she said, "I have been doing this Slayer thing for a while now and I haven't been killed yet."

"Well, that's true," Gourry admitted with a nod.  "But this way, I can be sure that you're okay.  I won't let anything happen to you."

"Thanks.  That's reassuring."  Lina thought for a moment before looking up at Gourry.  "How'd you find me anyway?"

"That Xellos guy told me where you were going."  Gourry looked at Lina disapprovingly.  "You shouldn't have lied to me and Amelia earlier.  Why'd you tell us that you didn't know what that Hellmaster guy's message meant?  If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to get rid of us."

Lina stared at the ground, trying to quash the guilt that she was feeling.  She found herself becoming angry with Gourry.  Who was he to judge her?  She didn't need his help.  Besides, with that stupid prophesy she didn't really have a choice, did she?  She had lied to him and Amelia for their own good.  That was it, she thought with a satisfied nod.  She looked up to tell Gourry exactly what she thought but stopped when she saw him smiling at her.

"We just want to help you Lina.  You shouldn't have to do it alone."

"I… well, uh… thanks, I guess," Lina said weakly.

"So," Gourry said with a grin, "Now that that's settled, do you mind explaining some things to me?"

Lina nodded.  "Sure."

Gourry's brow furrowed in thought as he tried to think of the simplest way to phrase his questions.  "Okay," he said after a long moment, "What's a Hellmaster and why is it doing what its doing?"

"Not a Hellmaster, The Hellmaster," Lina corrected.  "There's only one, thank Ceiphied.  Are you familiar with the story of Ceiphied and the creation of our world?" she asked.  Noting Gourry's blank stare she nodded and continued, "It's not surprising.  Even though church attendance is mandatory few people do more than pay lip service to the scriptures.  I'll just start at the beginning.  When the world was young, there was nothing but the light of the great Flare Dragon Ceiphied.  Nobody knows where he came from.  What we do know is that Ceiphied, desiring companionship, created the human race.  He fashioned humans from the very light of his own being, and in doing so, diminished his own brilliance.  The dimming of his light created the first shadow, the Dark Lord Shabranigdo."

"Shabranigdo," Gourry repeated making sure that he pronounced it right.  "But what about the Hellmaster, Lina?"

"I'm getting to that Gourry," Lina said patiently.  "Now Shabranigdo, being born from shadow, was quite evil.  However he was still Ceiphied's shadow and, in a way, desired the same things that Ceiphied did.  He wanted to create.  So, while Ceiphied fashioned the human race, Shabranigdo, in secret, added darkness to the nature of humans.  That's why people suffer from fear, anxiety, and hatred.  It's the dark part of human nature."

"I see…" Gourry nodded, hoping that Lina would let him ask questions at the end of the lecture.  She was going pretty fast.

"Good," Lina said encouragingly.  "Now, Ceiphied was more than a little peeved to find that his perfect creations were flawed.  In a fury, he cast Shabranigdo off of this world and set about making things right.  To this end, he created Heaven as a goal for humans to seek.  He also created angels, creatures of the light, to guide the human race back to him.  In this way, he intended to bring the humans closer to the light.  

"Angels?" Gourry said questioningly.

"I'll field this one," Xellos answered cheerfully as he stepped out of the shadows of a nearby alley.  "I am very impressed that you learned your history so well Lina!" he said with a satisfied nod.

"Is there anyone who isn't following me?" Lina muttered as she gave Xellos a reproachful glare.  

A moment later, Amelia quietly cleared her throat.  "Hi," she said, throwing a nervous wave to the dumbfounded Lina from her perch atop a nearby fence.

Lina threw up her arms in frustration and irritably motioned for Xellos to continue with his explanation.

Xellos gave Lina an apologetic grin before turning to Gourry and Amelia, both of whom were watching him attentively.  "I believe that Lina was talking about angels.  Angels, as she said, were created to bring the human race closer to the light.  Supposedly they possess the form of exceptionally beautiful humans with grand feathery wings."  

"Hmm, beautiful humans with wings…" Gourry muttered to himself while scratching his head.  He stole a quick glance at Lina's back, wondering briefly if she had wings.  Maybe they were invisible?  Curious, he reached out and pinched her back.

Lina yelped in surprise before whirling around and slugging Gourry in the face.  "Don't you start getting weird on me!" she growled at the swordsman.

"Sorry," Gourry apologized as he massaged his jaw.

Xellos grinned at Lina's antics as he continued his lecture.  "The reason that the angels were created in such a way was to demonstrate Ceiphied's greatness.  By giving human form combined with wings almost as grand as his own, he hoped to show humanity what they could aspire to if they rejected the darkness."

"Yeah, but Shabranigdo wasn't happy," Lina said as she continued to glare at Gourry.  "He felt that humans were just as much his creations as Ceiphied's."

Xellos nodded.  "Quite right Lina, so Shabranigdo set about making his own world, Hell.  In addition to creating his own dark world, he also created demons in mockery of Ceiphied's angels.  The Hellmaster is the most powerful of these creatures and Shabranigdo's most trusted servant."

"And that's the bad guy that looks like the kid, right Lina?" Gourry asked excitedly.

Lina nodded, "That's right Gourry, The Hellmaster.  As a servant of Shabranigdo, he is sworn to spread evil throughout our world and bring everything back to darkness.  He's the master of fear.  That's why everyone saw what they did when we fought him last night.  The human mind is his plaything, and it goes without saying that I've never faced a more dangerous creature."

Gourry nodded and scratched his head.  "I guess so.  But why is he here now?  And how are we supposed to kill him?"

Amelia nodded at the Sword of Light hanging from Gourry's belt.  "That has something to do with killing Hellmaster, right Mr. Xellos?"

"Very astute, Miss Amelia.  As I explained before, Rezo slew the Hellmaster 1000 years ago using the Sword of Light."  Xellos shrugged.  "It would make sense that it would work again."

"As to the question of why he's here now?" Lina looked at Xellos, hoping that he had some answer for them.  

Xellos just frowned and shrugged helplessly.  "Your guess is as good as mine.  I can assure you that it's not an accident though."  

Lina nodded.  "Right, a demon that powerful doesn't suddenly decide to take a leisurely stroll through our world.  There's definitely some very bad reason for him being here."  

They walked on in silence for a moment.

Lina looked up to see the burnt out remains of her old home.  "We're here," she told the others quietly.  She sighed, "Let's see what Hellmaster's left us."

************************************************************************

"You have got to be kidding," Lina fumed as she flung a ruined cooking pot across the room.  

Amelia yelped and ducked before glaring at Lina.  "Be more careful!" she admonished.

"Oh, you're not hurt," Lina snapped at the acrobat.  "Two hours of work for nothing?  Is Hellmaster playing with us or what?!" she said angrily as she looked at Xellos.

Xellos held up his hands defensively.  Unlike the others who had been working nonstop picking through the rubble for some clue, he didn't have a spot of dirt on him.  He had cited his bad back as the reason for not helping and been content to sit in the corner, occasionally making mostly useless comments while the others worked.  This had not made him the most popular person as the afternoon had worn on.  Even Amelia had become a little resentful towards him.

"Hey Lina," Gourry whispered as he knelt next to her.  "Any luck?"

"What do you think?" Lina growled angrily.  She noted Gourry's disapproving expression and shook her head.  "Sorry, but it's just been so frustrating."  She grunted as she struggled to flip over a stone that had once been part of the chimney.

"Let me help you with that," Gourry said as he easily moved the rubble for Lina.  As expected there was nothing out of the ordinary.  "You used to live here, huh?" he asked as he looked around the area.  "It's nice."

Lina smirked.  "You're lying, but thanks anyway."  She sat down with a sigh and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.  This had the effect of turning her entire face a sooty gray.  "What?" she asked innocently when she noticed Gourry trying to contain his laughter.

"Nothing," Gourry said, quickly shaking his head.  "So what are you going to do after we save Sylphiel?"

"I don't know," Lina said with a shrug.  "I know that I'm not going to hang around here.  Things have gotten so weird since I came back to Sairaag.  I wish that I just kept moving after I killed that vampire."

"Oh," Gourry said in a hurt tone.  "Well, it hasn't been all bad has it Lina?"

Lina thought briefly about the events of her brief stay in the city so far.  She had been nearly killed by Lupin, roughed up by a werewolf, caught up in Zelgadis's mysterious agenda, basically been told that she was going to kill Gourry, and now she was challenging the most powerful demon in the world.  She nodded at Gourry and said, "Yeah, it's pretty much been all bad.  Although…"  

There had been good things hadn't there?  There was the bath that Sylphiel had given her.  Sylphiel had treated her exceptionally nicely without even knowing Lina.  There was the time that she and Zel had spent in the library.  There'd been some bonding there, hadn't there?  Admittedly, he had threatened to kill her but they'd gotten past that little quibble.  Lina's face lit up and she said, "Oh yeah!" as she recalled the day at the circus.  That may very well have been the best day of her life.  Everything had been so wonderful; the food, the show, the games, and spending time with Gourry.

Lina looked up and opened her mouth, meaning to tell Gourry that maybe things hadn't been a total loss.  She frowned when she saw that he had moved over beside Amelia and was chatting with her now.  "Oh," she said simply and turned back to her work.  She shouldn't be wasting time anyway.

************************************************************************

Hellmaster and Sylphiel walked down the afternoon street hand in hand.  She was walking along quite woodenly, while he skipped happily along beside her.

Hellmaster giggled and looked up at the sullen Sylphiel.  "We're almost home 'Sis'.   Aren't you excited?" he inquired.

Sylphiel stared ahead, a frown etched on her face.  Hellmaster hadn't done anything too permanent to her yet.  He had made a couple of superficial cuts that had been easily concealed by her cloak.

The idea of posing as Sylphiel's younger brother had been a stroke of genius, Hellmaster thought.  They looked similar enough that it was a believable lie.  He didn't know if Zangulus had told the City Guard what he looked like yet and even if the alarm hadn't been raised, a child walking alone through the rough part of town would have brought unwanted questions anyway.  But this was lovely.

Hellmaster brought Sylphiel's hand up to his cheek and rubbed up against it lovingly.  He waved cheerfully at a passing guard, who returned the wave with a smile.  "Stupid sap," he muttered as soon as the guard was out of earshot.  He looked up at Sylphiel and asked, "When do you think we should tell Lina and the others to come look for us?"  He slapped his forehead and corrected himself.  "I meant come and look for me of course.  Nobody cares about you Sylphiel.  I'll bet they don't even know that you're gone."

Sylphiel's lips trembled ever so slightly and her chin drooped.

"Smile, damn you, people are looking!" Hellmaster hissed as he squeezed Sylphiel's hand harshly.  "Everyone should be lucky enough to have a brother like me!"

Sylphiel nodded and smiled insincerely.  She actually managed a sad little laugh and leaned down to kiss Phibrizzo on the cheek.

"That's better," Hellmaster said with a happy nod.  "Now there's the small matter of finding a messenger boy."  He looked around briefly before his gaze fell upon a young man handing out flyers to passing pedestrians.  He whispered, "Bingo."

"That's right.  Admission is only half price with the flyer sir.  Hope to see you at the show tonight," Alfred said tersely as he handed an elderly gentleman a brightly colored flyer advertising the circus.  He really should be nicer to the paying public but it had been a pretty bad day.  "Damn it Amelia," he muttered darkly.  She should have been out here handing out flyers with him, but he hadn't seen her since she botched the act at the show yesterday.  On top of that, Zanafar had been hurt last night and was half blind so he'd probably never be able to wrestle again.

A child's voice brought Alfred back to the present.  "Excuse me?" he asked.  Standing before him was a child of ten and a woman that he assumed was her.

"I asked," Hellmaster repeated, a wicked grin on his face, "How do you feel about spiders?"

Alfred made a disgusted face and shook his head.  "I can't stand them.  They're creepy."

"That's what I thought," Hellmaster said with a nod.  He nodded at something on Alfred's leg and muttered, "Then I guess you're probably not going to like that."

Alfred looked down and gasped.  The flyers fell from his numb fingers and were instantly scattered by the breeze.  Sitting atop his foot was a hairy black spider the size of his fist.

Phibrizzo giggled happily.  "He's a big one, huh?"  He eyed Alfred's boots dubiously.  "And would you take a look at those fangs?  I'll bet they could punch right through leather.  What do you think Alfred?"  He shrugged and rolled his eyes.  "And you know that the damn thing is poisonous.  Look at it!  That's no common house spider is it?"

The spider slowly made its way up Alfred's shin and moved off his boot and onto his pants.  He started to shake it off when he heard Phibrizzo's voice.

Hellmaster wagged a finger reproachfully.  "I wouldn't do that if I were you.  They can sense fear you know."  He grinned wickedly and chuckled, "Too late."

As if sensing Alfred's growing terror, the arachnid quickly scuttled up his body until it was comfortably situated on his chest.  It stared at him with bright red eyes and slowly moved up his torso until its forelegs touched the bare skin of his neck.  With a quiet hiss, it reared back on its hind legs exposing its fangs.

"Oh, I think its mad now," Phibrizzo said with a wink.  "I wouldn't make any sudden moves if I were you."

Alfred struggled to keep his breathing even and keep perfectly still.  A thin sheen of sweat covered his face and his eyes rapidly darted from the spider to Phibrizzo.  He noticed with no small amount of horror that the boy's eyes had taken on the same ruby color as the spiders.

Phibrizzo nodded and said, "That's smart boy.  You may get out of this yet.  Now I want you to run a small errand for me and in return I'll tell you how to get rid of mean old Mr. Spider.  Doesn't that sound nice?"

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"How are you doing, young lady?" Xellos asked as he knelt beside Lina.

Lina looked over at the priest and smiled wearily.  "I don't think I've ever been this tired in my entire life."  She stifled a yawn and continued to work.  Her back was starting to ache again where Mimi had wounded her a couple nights ago, but she wasn't going to admit that.  The last thing she needed was for everyone to start worrying about her.

Xellos gave Lina a thoughtful look before shaking his head and saying, "That's not what I meant Lina.  How do you feel?"

Lina quickly glanced over at Gourry and Amelia.  They were both out of earshot, occupied with their own work.  She lowered her voice and said, "I've never been so scared in my life.  How'd I go from hunting small fry to taking on the Hellmaster himself?"  She grabbed Xellos's arm and whispered, "I don't think that I can do this!"

Xellos nodded reassuringly.  "Feel better now?"

Lina slowly nodded.  It had been nice to get that off her chest.  "Well, what do you think?" she asked the priest.

Xellos stroked his chin for a moment, carefully pondering Lina's inquiry.  Satisfied with his answer he responded, "I think that Ceiphied has a purpose for all of us and finds a way to put us where we are supposed to be."  He put a reassuring hand on the redhead's shoulder as he continued, "Ceiphied chose you for this task for a reason."

"Yeah?" Lina said hopefully.  "And what reason is that?"

Xellos shrugged a goofy grin on his face.  "Who knows?  Maybe you're supposed to be a martyr and you're violent and utterly horrific death will inspire others to continue the fight against darkness."

"Oh, I feel a lot better now," Lina growled through gritted teeth.  She tackled the priest, knocking him onto his back.  She wrapped her hands around his throat and yelled, "You idiot!  What kind of lousy priest are you?!  You're supposed to comfort me!"  She squeezed tighter and growled, "Comfort me, damn it!"

"What's Miss Lina doing, Gourry?" Amelia asked as they watched Lina rough up the elderly priest.

"Offhand, I'd say she's losing her mind," was Gourry's nervous answer.  He stood and cautiously approached the ranting Lina.

"Well?!" Lina growled.  "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Xellos shifted slightly under Lina's weight and grimaced.  He muttered, "I think that I'm laying on a nail."

Lina shook her head angrily and snarled, "We're not talking about you!  We're talking about me!  You always helped me feel better before, so why won't you help me now?"

"Let him go, Lina," Gourry said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.  "Come on.  This isn't helping anything."  He gently lifted her off of Xellos and set her on her feet.

"Well, it'll definitely make me feel better," Lina seethed.  

"Thank you Gourry."  Xellos grinned and sat up.  He looked at where he had been laying and nodded after a moment.  "Broken glass.  Lovely."  He looked at Lina and was about to say something when the faint sound of footsteps behind him distracted him.  "Oh?" he muttered as he turned to look at the new arrival.

Alfred stood a few feet away from the group with a terrified expression on his face.  He was hyperventilating and appeared to be on the verge of passing out.  His eyes darted around the area as if he had just realized where he was.  His gaze settled on Lina and he breathed a sigh of relief.  With shaky hands, he reached down and pulled a small dagger from his belt.

"Alfred, what's wrong?" Amelia asked as she cautiously approached him.

Alfred blinked at his cousin in surprise.  "The spiders," he said in a shrill voice.  "Can't you see the spiders Amelia?!"  He laughed, a shrill and hysterical sound, and raised the dagger to his throat.

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Next Chapter:  Lina and the others are quickly running out of time.  Can they reach Hellmaster before he completes his plan?

Notes:  Spiders…  Brrrrr!  When all else fails, write what you know and I know that spiders scare the hell out of me.  Hope everyone enjoyed the origin of Hellmaster.  It's all lies, but whatever.  My favorite part of the chapter was the bit with Gourry mistaking Lina for an angel.  It just struck me as being incredibly cute.  Hope you liked it as well.

Reader response:

Pogo, I swear that Sylphiel is one of my favorite characters.  And don't go away for too many weekends.  I miss hearing from you!

Miss Gabriev, I'm glad you liked the bit with L/G.  Did you enjoy the one in this chapter?  Zel is Zel.  No chimera by night or anything like that.  Hmm, isn't it strange that for a vampire he seems remarkably resilient to sunlight?

CT, the bit with the rats probably came from my twisted little mind.  Or I picked it up somewhere.  I dunno.  The climax of the story is inspired by a nightmare I had, so look for that.

No, Otaku girl!  I love Sylphiel darn it!  It's just that Hellmaster isn't that fond of her, you know?

Xelena welcome aboard!  Always nice to have a new reader.  Hmm, all your questions have been answered in recent chapters or will be addressed in the future.  

Thanks a bunch Boo!  


	13. Hell comes to Sairaag

A long moment passed in the ruins of Lina's old home as Alfred and the others stared at each other.  Nobody dared make a move.

Finally, Lina cleared her throat and took a small step towards Alfred.  "Why don't you give me the knife?" she asked in a soothing tone.  "Give me the knife and we'll get rid of the spiders, alright?"  There were no spiders to be seen, but Lina knew that she probably wouldn't be able to explain that to Alfred.

Xellos glared at Alfred distastefully and, unnoticed by the others, disappeared into the shadows.

"Give you the knife?!" Alfred said incredulously, "What am I supposed to kill the spiders with?!"  He glared at Lina with such venom that she flinched.  "You did this to me!  This is all your fault!"  He pointed his dagger at her threateningly.

"Hold on just a second buddy," Gourry said angrily.  He stepped forward and placed himself between Lina and Alfred.  He put a hand on his sword and crouched down slightly.  One wrong move from Alfred and Gourry would bring a swift end to his life, given the acrobat's delusional state that could happen at any moment.

"Wait Mr. Gourry!  Don't hurt him!" Amelia begged.  "He's not himself."  She turned to Alfred and took a deep breath before asking, "Alfred, why is this Miss Lina's fault?"

"She sent the spider, Amelia!" Alfred bellowed as if this should be the most obvious thing in the world.  He glanced down at the large spider, now content to sit quietly on his cheek, and giggled.  "Did you know that she's female?  The spider I mean."  He looked down at the hundreds of much smaller arachnids covering every inch of his body.  They all stared at him with their ruby eyes.

"You talked to a boy didn't you?" Lina asked, never taking her eyes off Alfred's dagger.  "What did he tell you?"

"That's right," Alfred said with a slow nod.  "He'd be really mad if I forgot the message.  He said that you're the reason that I'm going to die.  And not just me," he said while looking around at the rest of the group, "All your friends too.  It will be your fault."

Lina's glared at Alfred determinedly.  "Where is he Alfred?  I know that he told you."

"He knows," Alfred said, nodding at Gourry.  "He was there with the ghosts a few nights ago, an abandoned building by the waterfront."

Amelia quietly knelt down and scooped some small stones up from the ruined floor.  

"Gourry, do you remember where that is?" Lina quickly asked the swordsman.  Seeing that he was still totally focused on Alfred, she smacked him in the back of the head, "Gourry, pay attention!"

"Huh?" Gourry said, startled by Lina's slap.  He nodded quickly and said, "Yeah, I remember.  The street where Zangulus and I saw the dead guys right?"

"Thank Ceiphied," Alfred said with a sigh of relief.  "He told me that I can kill the spider now."  He raised the dagger, intending to plunge it into his own face, when the blade was knocked free of his hand by a thrown rock.  "No!" he shrieked as he saw the dagger land a few feet away.  

Sensing his hostile intentions, the spider on Alfred's face reared back intending to plunge its fangs into his eye.

Without a moment's hesitation, Amelia hurled a second stone, which struck Alfred between the eyes rendering him safely unconscious.  She quickly darted over and snatched his dagger off the ground before turning back to make sure that he was okay.

"That was impressive Amelia," Lina said, her voice full of awe.  "How'd you do that?"

"Oh, well you know.  You have to be precise when you juggle."  Amelia knelt down beside her cousin and checked his injury.  "And it's not the first time I've hit him in the face with something."

A small trickle of blood flowed from Alfred's forehead, but it didn't appear that there was any permanent damage.  If anything, he actually looked like he was resting comfortably.  He was probably relieved to be free of his nightmare.

"Let's go," Lina said.  "Xellos can take care of… damn it!"  She looked around noting for the first time that the priest was nowhere to be found.  "He's never around when I need him!"

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"She'll be coming soon," Hellmaster said.  "Then I'll kill her and this whole mess will be done with.  A pity you won't be around to see it, eh Sylphiel?"  He glanced up at the woman expecting tears or something of that nature.  He was somewhat shaken when he saw her smiling.

"Do you find something amusing about your situation?" Hellmaster snarled as he dragged her up the stairs to the front door of his lair.  He read her mind to find the cause of her enigmatic smile.

Afraid, Slypheil thought that he, the greatest of Lord Shabranigdo's servants, was afraid of a handful of pitiful mortals.

"Stupid woman," Hellmaster spat as he kicked the door open.  "You think I fear Lina Inverse?  I could squash her and her companions at any time that I want."  He dragged Sylphiel forcefully down the dark hallway until he came to the door leading to the basement.

More visions from Slypheil; the Sword of Light, his injuries, caused by Lina and the others, his cowardly flight from Lina, how had Slypheil gotten so far into his mind?

Hellmaster eyed Sylphiel curiously.  "How did you do that?" he muttered.  "How did you see?"

Sylphiel stayed silent, that infuriating smile still on her face.

Hellmaster struggled to contain his temper.  It wouldn't do to rip the impudent woman to shreds just yet.  He yanked the door to the basement open and began to tug her forcefully down the stairs.  "Funny, really funny, right Sylphiel?  You think that old Hellmaster's just shaking in his boots don't you?  Now you listen to me you little bitch!  I fear nothing, least of all one of Xellos's pathetic pets," he snarled as the made their way down the stairs into the hot darkness.

Sylphiel gagged at the scent of death that hung heavily in the air.  How could it be that nobody outside of the building could smell this stench?

"It doesn't take much effort to convince people to ignore what they don't want to know," Hellmaster said in answer to her unspoken question.  They reached the bottom of the stairs and he shoved Sylphiel ahead of him towards a door at the end of a short hallway.  "Go in there and wait.  I've got work to do.  After all," he said sarcastically, "I've got to protect myself from Lina and the others right?"

Sylphiel advanced reluctantly towards the portal, carried by a body unwilling to respond to her commands.  Harsh red light spilled out from under the door and the smell worsened considerably as she approached.  She reached out and grasped the doorknob.  A moment later, she had flung the door open.  She squinted at the contents of the large room struggling to comprehend what she was looking at.

Hellmaster was busying himself with a couple of rather ripe corpses at the base of the stairs when he heard Sylphiel shriek.  "That's what they all say," he muttered as he continued to work.  

The bodies Hellmaster was working with had been a couple of drunks that he had deemed unworthy of being used in his art.  They would do just fine for what he needed now though.

Hellmaster forced his knife into the bloated belly of the first corpse and drew it upwards, neatly laying its abdomen open.  "Afraid?" he sneered tossing the knife aside in favor of working with his hands.  "Afraid?!" he repeated angrily.  He plunged his arm into the rotting mess and quickly found the heart.  He closed his eyes and concentrated on the soft tissue within his hand.

The hallway appeared to shift and contort.  What little light there had been was snuffed out leaving the area to be illuminated only by the inhuman glow of Hellmaster's eyes.  The air crackled with dark energy and then there was movement.   

A heartbeat, irregular at first, but quickly remembering its old rhythm the heart within the Hellmaster's grasp began to throb with new life.  

Hellmaster removed his hand from the body and shook the jellylike blood from his arm.  Unconsciously, he sighed with relief as he watched the once dead body begin to stir.  He quickly repeated the process with the other corpse with similar results.  Moment's later two dead men knelt at his feet.

Hellmaster grinned wickedly.  "Grau and Grou," he said while nodding in approval.  "Two of Hell's most loyal servants."

The demons stared up at Hellmaster silently, an unearthly fire burning in their eyes.  

Hellmaster pointed to the stairs and said, "Go forth and make the mortals despair.  Hell has finally come to this sad little world."  After a moment's hesitation he added, "And if you happen to see a redheaded Slayer and a blond swordsman kill them quickly."

Wordlessly, the two horrors shambled to their feet and ploddingly made their way up the stairs, dragging their loose intestines behind them.

Hellmaster watched them go with a hopeful look on his face.  He'd never been this close to completing his mission before.  Even when he'd fought Rezo all those years ago, he hadn't been strong enough to summon his forces to the mortal world.  Taking a deep breath, he stiffened up and his eyes slid closed.  

For the briefest of moments, Hellmaster was no longer a part of Phibrizzo.  He had reached out to touch every dead thing in the city of Sairaag.  They answered his call eagerly.

************************************************************************

In the darkness of his crypt, Zelgadis's eyes flew open.  He sensed that it wasn't quite dark yet, so why had he awakened?  Suspicious now, he stretched his supernatural senses to their limits, trying to discern what had awoken him.

There.  A faint scraping sound echoed through the tomb.  

"Zolf?" Zelgadis called out hopefully as he donned his cloak.  "Is that you?"

The scraping sound continued as Zelgadis hung his sword at his side.  Whatever this was, it wasn't Zolf.

Zelgadis sniffed the air and noticed that something had changed.  

The crypt had always been somewhat musty, given the fact that long dead priests were interred here.  But now the smell was stronger and more offensive then it had ever been.

"What the hell?" Zelgadis muttered as he felt something move across his foot.  He looked down to see one of the rats he had fed upon the night before staring up at him with dead glassy eyes, or most of it anyway.  Apparently, in his frenzy Zelgadis had torn this particular rodent in half.  That fact didn't seem to be causing it any distress though.

Zelgadis looked up to see the skeletal remains of priests clad in tattered robes lurching towards him.  He barely had time to draw his sword before they were upon him.

************************************************************************

Amelia watched Lina curiously, noting that at times the redhead would stand close to Gourry and chat with him, almost happily despite their current situation, while at other times she'd walk a few steps behind him with a gloomy expression on her face.

Deciding that in this situation true love may need a little help, Amelia tugged on Lina's sleeve during one of the moments that she was brooding quietly.  "Miss Lina, what's the matter?"

Lina looked at Amelia, a look of surprise on her face.  She muttered sarcastically, "Do you mean besides the fact that we're on our way to fight the most powerful demon in creation?"

Amelia nodded hesitantly.  "Well actually, yes."  She stole a quick glance at Gourry before leaning close to Lina and whispering, "Why don't you just tell him how you feel?"

Lina tripped over her own feet and went sprawling face first on the ground.  Quickly picking herself up, she brushed the dust off her cloak while glaring at Amelia.  

"Did I say something wrong?" Amelia asked nervously.

Lina was about to answer when she heard the sound of screaming.  Forgetting about Amelia's question, she turned her attention to business.  "What's going on Gourry?" she asked while jumping up in a futile attempt to see over the crowd ahead of them.

Amelia being even shorter than Lina was in a similar predicament.  She looked around briefly before spotting a low hanging signboard nearby.  She sprinted and vaulted off of Gourry's back.  A moment later, she was perched comfortably over the now panicking crowd.  She shaded her eyes, trying to block the rays of the setting sun and shuddered in horror at what she saw.  

About twenty yards down the street, two men were shambling in the direction of Lina and the others.  Both looked as if they should have been dead.

The first of the two hunched over as jagged, bony protrusions erupted violently from his back, a moment later, and they had encased his body in a makeshift suit of armor.  When he was finally done changing he looked like a hideous white crab.  As Amelia watched, he reached out and impaled a fleeing man on one of his jagged spikes.

The other was even more terrible.  While the first was a creature of bone, this one's blood was its weapon.  Dozens of solid strands of gore shot out of its arms, easily attaining lengths of ten feet or more.  A moment later, it was whipping these strands through the crowd, mowing people down like wheat.

"Huh, there's something you don't see every day."

Amelia looked up to see a battered and bruised Zelgadis standing on the roof, coolly eyeing the situation.  "Mr. Zelgadis!" she yelled, relieved to see him back after his mysterious departure earlier that day.

Zelgadis nodded at Amelia and said, "Stay there," before leaping from the roof and landing in the street beside Lina.

"Zel, ow!"  Lina said as a large man shoved her aside in his haste to flee the area.  "What in the hell's going on up there?!" she asked as she took cover behind Gourry.  

Zelgadis nodded, "Hell's a good way to describe it.  I'd say that the Hellmaster's finally decided to get serious."

Lina was about to ask what Zelgadis meant when the crowd parted to reveal the two demons standing amidst the carnage.  "Oh," she said as she drew her sword.  "Hey!" she called out, "Why don't you guys pick on somebody your own size?"

"They're a lot taller than you Lina," Gourry pointed out helpfully as he drew the Sword of Light.

Lina smacked her forehead in frustration and mumbled, "Figure of speech, Gourry.  It's a figure of speech!"

Grau and Grou stared at the small group of mortals that had foolishly challenged them.  They noted the medallion hanging around Lina's neck and the Sword of Light within Gourry's grasp and came to the logical conclusion.

"A redheaded Slayer…" Grau rumbled in a deep voice.

"…and a blond swordsman," Grou finished in a voice like crystal.

Moving as one, the two misshapen creatures charged Lina and the others.

Gourry and Lina glanced at each other and silently agreed upon a plan.  Gourry moved to the right while Lina sprinted to the left.  As planned the two demons split up in an attempt to kill them both.

Lina had her hands deflecting the seemingly infinite tendrils of Grou.  She glanced down at one unfortunate soul who had been sliced neatly in two.  It wouldn't do to let her guard down with this one.  "So," she said cheerfully as she ducked a decapitating strike, "What brings you to our world?  I can tell you that the booze isn't that good, and Sairaag isn't a nice tourist spot."

"Flippancy won't save you from death," was Grou's terse answer.  He pulled one of the tendrils from his body and shaped it into a spear before flinging it at Lina with all his demonic strength.  

"Yikes!" Lina yelped as she ducked the javelin, which passed harmlessly through the back of her cloak.  She muttered, "You're probably a lot of fun at parties aren't you?" as she glanced over her shoulder and saw the weapon strike a brick wall behind her.  This did little to slow its momentum and it continued on.  She didn't get to see where it finally ended up, as she was forced to defend herself against another onslaught from the demon.

************************************************************************

Hellmaster listened to the screams coming from the street and smiled.  "They work quick.  Okay, back to business."  He turned and opened the door leading to his inner sanctum.  He rolled his eyes when he saw Sylphiel curled up on the floor crying.  "What now?" he asked mockingly.  "You don't like my decorations?"  He walked past her and took a seat on a pile of corpses.  He looked at Sylphiel and thought for a moment.  

Something was not right here.  Usually people that saw Hellmaster's work would be ranting and raving, their minds destroyed.  All Sylphiel was doing was crying a little.  Honestly, he was a little disappointed.  Not to mention disconcerted.  He couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing some vital bit of information.  

"Hey!" Hellmaster said as he stood.  He walked over and gave Sylphiel a hard kick in the ribs.  "What are you hiding?"

Sylphiel glared up at Phibrizzo defiantly, causing him to take an involuntary step backwards.

"Oh, you want to play?" Hellmaster sneered.  "Fine, we've got time for a game or two before we get to work."  With that, he forced himself into Sylphiel's mind.

************************************************************************

"Hmm, you're a tough nut to crack, aren't you?" Gourry muttered as he struck at Grau's throat.  The Sword of Light slid along the bony carapace, cutting only a small divot when it should have taken the demon's head.

"Bleed," Grau commanded as he clumsily swung a jagged arm at Gourry.  His blow was easily ducked and the demon ended up imbedding its arm up to the elbow in a nearby wall.

"And strong too," Gourry added as he darted in and cut along Grau's exposed ribs with little result.  He quickly hopped back to avoid a backhanded swing by the demon.  "You'll have to do a lot better than that," he said with a grin.  He twirled the Sword of Light in front of himself and beckoned his opponent forward.

As expected, Grau grunted in anger and pursued the swordsman, uncaring that Gourry was leading him into a narrow alley.  A moment later he blinked in surprise and looked around.  Both of his shoulders were scraping the walls, severely hindering his movement.

Gourry quipped, "You're a real genius, aren't you?" as he stung the demon's hide with a couple more quick blows.  

Grau roared in anger and reached out towards Gourry, intending to crush the swordsman's head within his grasp.

Gourry casually sidestepped the almost comically slow grab attempt by his opponent and swung at the inside of the demon's elbow.  The feel of soft flesh giving way beneath his blade and Grau's agonized roar rewarded his efforts.  

An instant later, Grau's forearm crashed to alley floor and twitched for a moment before laying still.

"Kind of soft around the joints aren't you, huh?" Gourry said with a satisfied nod as he took another step back.  "I'll take you apart yet."

Grau glared at Gourry with hate filled eyes.  He clutched at the stump of his right arm and grunted.  There was a popping noise and splintered bone sprung out of the wound and shaped itself into a new arm.  He grinned and took another plodding step towards his opponent.

Gourry nodded, quite unperturbed, and said, "Alright, this might take a little longer than I thought, but I'll still cut you down to size."

Grau grinned, a rudimentary plan slowly formulating in his mind, as he attacked again.

************************************************************************

Zelgadis and Amelia watched both of the conflicts from the rooftop.

Amelia bit her lip nervously and hopped from foot to foot as she looked from Zelgadis, to the battles, and finally back at Zelgadis.  "Don't you think-" she started to ask.

Zelgadis cut her off with a raised hand.  He muttered, "Let me think for a moment, please."  Noting that Gourry seemed to have things well in hand, and that Lina was struggling to find an opening with her own opponent, he made his decision.  "Right.  Amelia, you wait here.  If anything happens to us, I want you to run."

"But-" Amelia began to protest.

"No buts!" Zelgadis said angrily.  "I want you to run.  And don't look back."  He drew his sword and stepped over to the edge of the roof.  Taking one last look at the acrobat, he leapt down into the fray.  

"Hey, hold on a second!" Lina demanded as Grou continued his onslaught.  "This isn't really fair you know!" she yelled as she sliced two more tentacles in half only to have four new ones replace them.

"Fair?" Grou repeated, briefly halting his attack.  "What do you think would be fair mortal?" he asked curiously.

Lina thought for a moment before answering.  "Well, maybe if you didn't attack me with so many of those things at once," she said while gesturing at Grou's tentacles.  "There's not really much I can do against that," she added with an adorable pout.

Grou nodded in agreement.  "I see."  He concentrated briefly and there were suddenly twice as many limbs as before.  "Is this better?" he asked as he resumed his assault.

************************************************************************

Gourry gracefully danced in and out, the Sword of Light a blur as he continued to wound Grau.

Grau roared and swung his right arm at Gourry, totally missing and imbedding it in the wall.  He repeated this action with the left with identical results.  He feigned helplessness, appearing to struggle to disengage himself from the walls.  

Gourry smirked as he stepped in to deliver the killing blow.  Without its limbs to protect it, he could easily drive the Sword of Light into its chest.  Why was it smiling then?

Grau roared and yanked his arms free of the walls, bringing most of the surrounding structures down upon him and Gourry.  While he would be protected from the falling debris, he doubted that the swordsman had the same luxury.  He was right.

To his credit, Gourry realized what Grau was planning just before the walls came down.  He actually managed to jump clear of the worst of the debris, but was struck by stray brick and rendered painfully unconscious.

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Zelgadis heard the buildings collapse behind him but paid it no heed.  His business was with the demon harassing Lina.  He leapt high into the air as he drew his sword.  He hissed in anticipation as he reached the apex of his jump and began to fall upon the unsuspecting demon below.

Lina saw what Zelgadis intended to do and stepped up her own attack.  She rushed in on Grou, leaving herself wide open to attack.  She was counting on Zelgadis felling the demon before it had a chance to kill her.

Grou, relying on senses far beyond those of mortals, had sensed Zelgadis's approach moments before.  He had felt the pressure of the air on his back caused by Zelgadis's descent.  He had heard the hiss of anticipation.  Finally, for a split second, he had seen Zelgadis's translucent reflection in Lina's sword.  

All in all, Zelgadis's surprise attack was anything but.

Ignoring Lina for the time being, Grou diverted his tentacles upwards and grinned as he felt Zelgadis impale himself upon them.

Lina gasped as she saw Zelgadis skewered.  Four of the whips of blood pierced his abdomen in various places.  Another had punctured his sword arm, while a final one had been driven through his throat and out the back of his neck.  

Zelgadis's body twitched spastically and the sword fell from his limp grasp.   A moment later, it clattered to the street below.

Grou flung Zelgadis's limp body aside like so much garbage and turned his attention back to Lina.  "Now, where were we?" he asked with a giggle.

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Next Chapter:  Zelgadis falls.  

Notes:  Fun chapter.  I really get a kick out of writing action.  Well now that Zelgadis is dead, does anyone have any suggestions for a replacement?  Maybe Jillas or something.

Reader Response:

Horrendously confused Pogo?  Good!  That means I haven't given too much away.

Miss Gabriev, I thought that you hated Sylphiel.  And now you want her to survive?  Make up your mind!

Otaku girl, another victim of arachnophobia huh?  Glad to know it creeped you out.

CT, you liked the strangulation bit?  Cool.  I thought it was pretty funny myself.

Xelena, you read 7 chapters in one sitting?!  You're a real glutton for punishment, huh?  Just kidding.  Glad you're enjoying it.

Zaber, you realize that I'd die if I ever woke up with a spider on my face right?  *shivers*  You'll never catch me in a place where spiders get to be as big as your hand either.

Boo, thanks for your hard work on the betaing.  I know the fragments are tough to deal with, but I'll do better I promise.

Masaki I meant it.  There's no such thing as an expendable character.  And Sylphiel is a favorite of mine.  Honestly people!  She is!  Um, can't say that I've ever read "Faces: Finale".  Maybe I'll get around to it sooner or later.


	14. Minions of darkness

Zelgadis's life was nothing but pain for a few moments.  First, there had been the horrible sensation of pressure as he was skewered on the demon's whips.  Then there had been the agony of his ribs snapping when he had been flung against the brick wall.  Finally, there was the secondary impact of hitting the cobblestone street, which fractured his collarbone.  

At this point, all semblances of logic and reason mercifully deserted Zelgadis, leaving him as the wildest of animals.  He thrashed about on the ground, wanting nothing more than to inflict pain on anything within reach.  In his fury, he clawed at the wall that had so cruelly broken him, leaving deep furrows in the brick and mortar.

Zelgadis hissed at the sound of conflict coming from behind him.  He quickly turned to see two figures locked in a life or death struggle.  His lips curled back in a snarl exposing long fangs as he recognized the figures.  

Zelgadis dropped to all fours like a jungle cat and moved stealthily through the growing shadows of the late afternoon as he stalked his prey.  His breath wheezed loudly through the ragged hole in his throat.  As he maneuvered around the two creatures locked in combat before him and considered his options.

The small one with the red hair was breathing hard.  The scent of old blood reached his nostrils and he growled hungrily.  She had old wounds that would hinder her movements, should he choose to attack her.  All in all, she would be an easy meal.

He turned his attention to the other and snarled.  The other had hurt him badly.  He eyed the flailing tendrils of blood with a confused mixture of longing and apprehension.  Here there was abundance of food, but with it the probability of pain.

Zelgadis crouched low and prepared to pounce on his chosen prey.

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Luckily for Amelia, she had been watching the battle between Gourry and Grau when Zelgadis fell.  If she had seen what had happened to Zelgadis she would have certainly tried to help him.  Most likely, he would have repaid her concern by killing her.

Amelia yelped in surprise as the roof beneath her began to give way under Grau's assault.  She quickly scrambled back from the edge to more sturdy footing.  The last thing she saw before both combatants were concealed under an avalanche of rubble and dust was Gourry taking a hard blow to the head.  

Standing atop a chimney, which she assumed would be a little more stable than the rest of the roof; Amelia listened for sounds of life from the alley below.  Noting that there was only silence, she carefully made her way over to the edge of the roof on her hands and knees.  "Hello?" she cautiously called out.  "Mr. Gourry, are you alright?"  She remembered Zelgadis's command to run if anything happened, but quickly shoved it aside.  Gourry might need her help.

A thick cloud of dust concealed any signs of life in the alley below.

Taking a calculated risk, Amelia hopped down into the darkness.  She immediately regretted doing so when she landed.  She coughed violently, trying to clear the powder from her lungs.  She looked around and saw Gourry laying half buried under a wall.  

Blood was flowing freely from a wound in the swordsman's forehead, and he looked like he might still be breathing.

"Mr. Gourry," Amelia whispered as she crawled over to him.  There was no sign of Grau, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself.  She reached out with a trembling hand and shook Gourry's shoulder.

Gourry groaned in pain so at the very least, he was still alive.

"Thank goodness," Amelia sighed.  She quickly began to move the rubble away from him as best she could.  She looked around again, noting how quickly the once populous area of the city had become abandoned almost immediately after the trouble started.  "Where are the guards?" she wondered aloud.  "They should have been here by now."

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Down at the guard station, the troops were under siege, barely able to defend themselves, much less the rest of the city.

Gaav stood atop his desk, which had been made into a makeshift barricade.  He barked orders at the rest of the troops coolly as if there was nothing at all unusual about being attacked by a horde of dead men.

A particularly wiry corpse darted through the throng and launched itself at the captain.  It latched onto his broad chest and attempted to claw his eyes out.

"Ha!  Is that the best you can do?" Gaav snarled contemptuously as he ripped the beast's head from its shoulders with his bare hands.  He shot Zangulus a scornful look and bellowed, "Damn it Zangladus!  Where'd you learn to fight?!  Quit sandbagging boy!"

"Right sir, sorry sir!" Zangulus shouted while struggling to fend off a half dozen dead men.  He yelped in surprise when one of them tried to chew his ear off.  He whirled around and took its head off with a flick of his sword.

Its body fell to the ground, dead once again.  The guard station had gotten the worst of the assault since Hellmaster had woken the dead in Sairaag.  Plenty of criminals had been executed and buried in anonymous graves behind the building.  Now they were back for revenge.

Gaav tore into his foes with barely contained enthusiasm.  Towering above the rest of the combatants, both living and dead, he fought with a fervor that had earned him the nickname of "Demon Dragon King" in the last war.  Every time he swung his broadsword a half dozen dead men fell.  Invariably they were replaced by a dozen more.

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Lina shrieked in pain as one of Grou's tendrils pierced her defenses and slammed through her shoulder.  A second later, she was being dragged painfully along the ground towards the demon like a fish on a hook.

Grou dragged her incredibly slowly towards him, savoring her groans of pain.  "Little one," he hissed as he pulled Lina up face to face with him.  "Why do you struggle?"  He plucked her sword from her hand and flung it into the night.  "Beg for mercy and you shall have it."  A bloody tendril positioned itself inches from Lina's eye.  "Otherwise…" he muttered cheerfully as he expanded the barb that had pierced her shoulder.

Lina gritted her teeth and glared defiantly at Grou.  She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her beg.  "Go back to Hell," she snarled angrily.

Grou laughed and shook his head.  "And why would I do that mortal when we're on the verge of bringing Hell to your world?"

Lina gasped in surprise and was about to ask what the demon meant when Zelgadis pounced.  She found herself flung free of the Grou's grasp as he turned to face the new threat.

Zelgadis's mind had been made up.  The larger one had hurt him, so even if he attacked the smaller target he was still in danger.  Therefore, the other would have to die first.  There was fresh pain as the demon's whips pierced his body in dozens of places.  He roared in unrestrained fury and pressed on.

Grou grinned confidently.  This foolish little man, resilient as he was, was no match for a demon of Grou's caliber.  His smile quickly faded as he saw Zelgadis press on towards him despite wounds that should have killed him.  "No," he hissed nervously, taking a step back.

Zelgadis looked down at the barbs piercing his body and grinned.  He grabbed a handful of them and tore them free of his flesh.  He then ripped them out of Grou's body, eliciting a terrified scream of agony.  "Your tricks can't save you," he chuckled darkly as he slowly advanced on the demon.  

Grou looked into Zelgadis's feral eyes and for the first time in its long existence, knew fear.  This thing should have been soft, an easy kill.  Mortals had always been easy kills.  But this was different.  This one was something different.  In desperation, he conjured more barbs and whipped them into his opponent's flesh.

Zelgadis grunted in pain but continued his murderous advance.  "Your blood can't save you," he muttered as he tore into another of the barbs with his fangs.

Grou fell to his knees and held up a hand, gibbering helplessly.

Zelgadis reached out and grabbed the demon's wrist.  There was a loud snap as Grou's wrist broke, and a moment later he had easily plucked Grou's arm from its socket.  He looked at it curiously for a moment before tossing it aside like rubbish.  He turned his attention back to the demon's terrified eyes and whispered, "Nothing can save you," before setting to work on the demon in earnest.

Lina tried to resist the urge to vomit as she watched Zelgadis, quite literally, take Grou apart.  She hastily scrabbled backwards clutching her wounded shoulder and snatched her sword off the ground.  Zelgadis was obviously not himself.

"You don't need these, right?" Zelgadis sneered as he ripped Grou's intestines free of his body.

Grou screamed over and over as he desperately tried to fend off Zelgadis's assault.  He stabbed his attacker over and over to no avail.  He grabbed Zelgadis's throat with his remaining hand only to have it pulled free from his body.

Zelgadis growled and opened his mouth to reveal bloody fangs before plunging them into Grou's neck.

Lina shrieked, "Zel, stop it!"  She covered her eyes and sobbed uncontrollably, the memory of Luna's death pulled to the forefront of her mind by Zelgadis's barbaric actions.  Her hands shook uncontrollably and she found herself wishing that she were anywhere else, preferably with a nice stiff drink.  She sobbed, "This isn't happening," as she listened to the disgusting slurping noises.  She heard Grou whimper one last time before he fell silent.  Not wanting to see, but unable to resist, she uncovered her eyes and took in the carnage.

Zelgadis climbed to his feet, his wounds rapidly closing.  He was caked from head to toe in gore and his outfit was in tatters.  He looked like something out of a nightmare.  He paused momentarily and sniffed the air, as if catching some new scent.  He turned slowly to face Lina and grinned wickedly.  He ran his tongue along his lips, licking them clean in anticipation.

Lina climbed painfully to her feet and slipped a stake into her hand from within her cloak.  She looked into Zelgadis's eyes hoping to find some sign of recognition.  There was none.  Martina's words ran through her mind over and over.

"Lina Inverse, soon the death that you so freely mete out will fall upon one of your own.  A beloved companion will die by your hand."

Lina grabbed the medallion around her neck and whispered, "Help me Sis.  I don't want to kill him."  She turned her attention back to Zelgadis.  "Zel!" she shouted, hoping that she sounded more confident than she felt.  "Zel, you don't want to do this!"  

Zelgadis looked at her quizzically for a moment, as if sensing something familiar, but the murderous expression quickly slipped back onto his face.  Snarling one last time, he pounced.

************************************************************************

"Mr. Gourry?" Amelia panted as she struggled to move some of the heavier pieces of debris off of him.  For a moment, she thought she felt the pile shudder, but quickly chalked it up to her nervousness.  She glanced at the mound of rubble that concealed Grau.  He'd gotten the worst of it when the buildings came down.  So, he couldn't have survived right?

As if on cue, one of Grau's hands exploded from the pile.  He was pulling himself free of the pile when he noticed Amelia and grinned.  "A little toy," he rumbled happily.  "I'll pop your head like a grape."

Amelia stared at Grau for a moment before turning back to Gourry and shaking him violently.  She shrieked in his ear.  "Mr. Gourry, wake up!  I don't know what to do!"

"Ow…  What?" Gourry mumbled as he opened his eyes.  "Calm down Amelia.  You're going to deafen me."  He glanced over his shoulder at the demon emerging from the rubble behind him for a moment before turning back to the frightened acrobat.  "Don't panic.  Get me my sword," he commanded calmly, pointing to the Sword of Light laying a few feet away.

Amelia nodded and hastily scampered down the pile and snatched up the sword.  She turned to throw it to Gourry, but the Grau had reached him first.

Grau cackled evilly as he pulled Gourry free of the debris by his right leg.  He held him upside down at eye level and rumbled, "What can you do now, my stupid friend?"  He playfully batted at the swordsman with his other hand, knocking the wind out of him.

"Well," Gourry gasped, "I was thinking that you'd let me go, I'd get the Sword of Light, and then I'd finish you off."

Grau's laughter echoed through the alley.  He growled, "And why would I let you go?"

"Because of her," Gourry said, nodding in Amelia's direction.

"The little one?" Grau mumbled as he turned to look at the acrobat.  "What can she possibly-?"

In one fluid motion, Amelia drew Alfred's dagger from her belt and flung it into Grau's eye.

Grau howled in agony, and just as predicted, dropped Gourry in favor of clutching his wounded face.

Gourry rolled to his feet and winked at Amelia.  "Thanks."

Amelia breathed a sight of relief and quickly handed Gourry the Sword of Light.  "What are you going to do now?"

Gourry blinked at Amelia in surprise and asked, "Isn't it obvious?  I'm going to kill him."  He turned and walked towards Grau, the unlit Sword of Light in his hand.

"Mr. Gourry!" Amelia yelled.  There were so many things she wanted to bring up.  How was he going to kill the demon?  The Sword of Light couldn't pierce its hide.  Why was he so calm?  Maybe he had a concussion or something.  Most importantly, had he forgotten to activate the sword?

Grau groaned as he pulled the dagger free of his eye socket with an audible pop.  "I'm going to crush your bones to powder," he growled.  "Hmm?" he muttered when he felt a sudden pressure on the side of his head.  He looked up to see Gourry standing over him.  The Sword of Light was pressed against his skull.

Gourry grinned and muttered, "Light come forth."

The blade sprang into existence, easily piercing armor, bone, and gray matter, before exploding violently from the far side of the demon's skull.

Grau stiffened up, pained surprise registering in his one remaining eye.  A moment later, he slid off the end of the blade and hit the alley floor with a crash.

Gourry stepped over Grau's body and swept the sword down, decapitating the demon.  He sighed and sheathed his blade before turning to Amelia.  "You were a big help," he said gratefully.  "Thanks."  He sat down atop the demon's corpse to catch his breath.

Amelia glanced at Grau's body distrustfully as she snatched up Alfred's dagger.  She grimaced at the gore coating it distastefully.  "Eeew," she groaned.

"Just flick it," Gourry suggested helpfully.  "That gets most of the stuff off if you do it before it dries."

Amelia squeezed her eyes shut and whipped the dagger through the air.  She hesitantly opened one sapphire eye and grinned.  It had worked!  There were a couple of dark streaks left on the blade, but other than that, it was clean.  As she tucked the blade back in her belt she said, "Thanks Mr. Gourry!  That was a big… oh, sorry."

Gourry was looked at Amelia irritably, the blood from her blade dripping down the front of his shirt.  "Usually you'd flick it away from other people," he grumbled.

Amelia grinned sheepishly.

For a moment there was silence as they both rested, until Gourry remembered something important.

"Lina!" Gourry yelled as he leapt to his feet and ran toward the mouth of the alley.  A moment later, Amelia followed.

************************************************************************

Hellmaster gasped in shock.  He'd gone into Sylphiel's mind and found nothing.  It was as if she was dead.  He looked down at her incredulously, noting the fierce determination in her eyes.  No, she certainly wasn't dead by any means.  She was blocking him.  Somehow, she was blocking his access to her mind.

"How are you doing this?!" Hellmaster snarled as he grabbed Sylphiel by the throat.  "Tell me!" he snarled threateningly.  He held his hand up to her face and extended his talons.

Suddenly, an image from Sylphiel slammed forcefully into Hellmaster's mind causing him to loosen his grip on her and stagger back a step.  He saw her lying dead on the floor at his hands.  His months of work crumbled around him, all because he had killed the central piece of the tapestry prematurely.

Hellmaster sank to his knees next to Sylphiel and whispered, "How?  How do you know about that?  Why do you know things that I haven't told you?"  He was far too confused to be angry with Sylphiel at this point.  "Please," he requested, almost pleadingly, "Tell me what I'm missing."

Sylphiel stared into Phibrizzo's eyes and opened her mouth as if to speak.

Hellmaster leaned forward and smiled hopefully.  "Yes?" he said eagerly.

Sylphiel laughed a happy and hopeful sound in the gloom and despair of the chamber.

The smile on Hellmaster's face was replaced with a look of utter hatred.  He sputtered, "You… you… you MEANIE!!" and jumped to his feet.  He stormed around the room kicking things here, throwing things there.  All the while, he was huffing angrily on the verge of tears.  The great and powerful Hellmaster was throwing the most childish of temper tantrums.

Sylphiel watched him rage with a hopeful smile on her face.

Hellmaster finally sat down, buried his face in his hands, and wept.  It wasn't fair.  Why couldn't Sylphiel understand how hard he had worked to do what he had done?  Didn't she understand that even though he was immortal, a thousand years was still a long time to wait to finish a task?  He'd come so close to completing it and now…

Hellmaster looked up at Sylphiel, intending to hurl all sorts of vulgarities at her but found himself settling on, "You're a mean lady!"  He continued to weep and covered his eyes again.  Why should he bother going on?  Everyone just wanted to mess up his stuff.  So why should he even try to finish?  They were all bullies.  Xellos, Lina, Gourry, and now even Sylphy, he thought as he glanced up at Sylphiel.

Hellmaster's eyes widened and he mouthed the nickname again.  "Sylphy."  He glared at Sylphiel as he finally began to put the puzzle together.  "Sylphy," he said loud enough for her to hear him.

Sylphiel jumped when she heard Hellmaster say that name.  Her smile had disappeared instantly and was replaced with an uncertain expression as she backed away from him.

Hellmaster threw his head back and laughed shrilly and wildly.  He climbed to his feet, the tears in his eyes replaced by malice.  He began to walk towards Sylphiel, waggling a finger in admonishment the entire time.  "Oh, that was good," he chuckled triumphantly.  "No, I take that back.  That little ploy was brilliant.  Even Lei Magnus never thought to try something like that.  I underestimated you two."

Hellmaster loomed over the cowering Sylphiel and smirked.  He closed his eyes and concentrated, but instead of going into Sylphiel's mind, he dove into his own.

Phibrizzo screamed in terror as he sensed the Hellmaster approaching.

************************************************************************

"Damn it Zel!" Lina bellowed as she struggled to keep Zelgadis's gnashing fangs from her throat.

Zelgadis shoved Lina to the ground and straddled her, snapping at her neck the entire time.  He quickly began to overpower the much weaker and wounded girl.

Lina held onto the wooden stake tightly and positioned it between her body and Zelgadis's.  After a bit of maneuvering, the point was pressed into his skin just over the heart.  "Don't make me do this!" she pleaded to no avail.

Zelgadis put a hand on Lina's wounded shoulder causing her to shriek in pain.  The stake slipped away from his chest and he was finally able to lean in close enough to bite.

Lina snarled and shifted her grip on the stake so that she was holding it like a club.  With all the strength she could muster, she smashed it into Zelgadis's cheek just before his teeth reached her neck.

Zelgadis reared back and blinked.  What had happened?  He looked at himself and saw that he was covered in blood.  Movement below him caught his attention and he glanced down to see Lina lying on the ground beneath him.  She was staring at him furiously.  "Oh god," he stammered while glancing around guiltily, "Amelia!  Did Amelia see?"

Lina snarled, "You son of a bitch!" and brought her knee up hard into Zelgadis's groin.

Zelgadis grunted and rolled off of the redhead clutching himself in complete and utter agony.  His breath hissed in and out through clenched teeth as he prayed for mercy or death, anything but this horrible feeling of being crushed.  "Lina," he squeaked inaudibly, trying to tell her that she wasn't in danger anymore.

Lina fought her way to her feet and clutched her bleeding shoulder.  She glared at Zelgadis before taking a quick step and kicking him in the ribs.

Zelgadis gasped as the air was driven from his lungs and he was flipped painfully onto his back.  Okay, he thought trying to keep calm.  He'd deserved all of this.  It was understandable that Lina was mad.  He'd probably tried to kill her, right?  He looked up at Lina, intending to explain himself when he saw her stake positioned over his heart.

"Make one move, and I will kill you.  Do you understand me?" Lina muttered angrily.

Zelgadis nodded.

Lina sighed in relief.  Zelgadis seemed to have gotten himself back under control.  Better to be sure though.  She asked, "Are you going to try to kill me again?"

Zelgadis shook his head.

"Good enough," Lina said as she flopped off of Zelgadis and lay on her back panting.  "Never ever do that again, Zel," she muttered tiredly.  "I don't think I could handle the stress."

"Okay," Zelgadis managed to squeak while giving Lina a halfhearted thumbs up.

The two exhausted Slayers lay there trying to recuperate for the final push.  Hellmaster was still waiting for them somewhere ahead.

************************************************************************

Within Phibrizzo's mind, Hellmaster didn't have the appearance of a small child.  He had the form of whatever Phibrizzo saw him as.  In this particular instance, he was a monstrous troll with huge fangs.  "All the better to eat you with, my boy," Hellmaster muttered as he strode purposefully down a hallway in Phibrizzo's mind.  Seeing what he was after, he grinned.

Standing at the end of the hall was a huge oak door, reinforced with steel.  Phibrizzo was obviously trying to defend himself, feeble as the attempt was. 

Hellmaster chuckled, "Knock, knock," before easily battering down the steel banded door blocking his way to the child.  He snickered wickedly when he saw what was in the room beyond.  "Now, isn't this a lovely scene?"

Cowering in the middle of the floor, Sylphiel and Phibrizzo hugged each other fearfully.

Hellmaster laughed long and loud as he stepped into the room.  He took a seat next to the two and said, "I believe that it's about time that we all had a little chat…" 

************************************************************************

"Lina!" Gourry yelled as he ran to her side.  He knelt down beside her and gingerly helped her up to a sitting position.  "You're wounded," he said in a grave tone.

"Oh that?" Lina muttered as she glanced at the bloody mess that was her shoulder.  She chuckled, "It's only a scratch.  I'm fine.  At least he didn't get my sword arm."  She leaned heavily on Gourry as she struggled to her feet.  She looked up at his face and frowned.  "Gourry, you're bleeding."  She reached down and ripped a strip of cloth off her cape.  "Here," she said pressing it to his head.

Gourry protested, "Lina, you don't have to- ow!  Are you trying to make it worse?!"

"Oh, quit whining you big baby," Lina muttered as she clumsily bound Gourry's wound.  She smiled as she looked over her handiwork.  "Perfect," she said with a nod.  "Isn't that better Gourry?"

Gourry grimaced and nodded, deciding that it would be best to tough it out rather than have her try to fix her handiwork.  The loosely tied strip of cloth was barely covering the gash and was obscuring his vision on top of that.

"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia said as she took in the sight of the bloodstained rags that had once been his clothes.  "Are you hurt?"

"No," Zelgadis said with a vehement shake of his head.  He said a quick prayer of thanks that Amelia apparently hadn't seen what he had done.  He stood gingerly, trying not to betray the pain he was feeling from the blows that Lina had given him.  "It's all that thing's blood," he muttered in explanation of his state.

"By Ceiphied," Amelia said looking somewhat pale.  She had just caught sight of Grou's remains.  The demon was pretty much scattered over twenty feet of ground.  "What monster did that?" she whispered, leaning up against Zelgadis.

Zelgadis twitched, visibly shaken by her question.  He coughed and muttered, "It was-"

"Me," Lina said quickly as she shot Zelgadis a look commanding him to be silent.  

Zelgadis nodded gratefully and sighed in relief.

Gourry watched the interplay between Zelgadis and Lina with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not pretty work Amelia," Lina said turning back to the acrobat.  "You have to do whatever it takes to get the job done.  If you can't handle it, I suggest you go back to the circus.  This isn't a game and I don't have time to baby-sit."

Amelia swallowed nervously before nodding to Lina.  "I… I understand, Miss Lina.  You can count on me."

Lina smiled tiredly.  "Good.  I think that I'm going to need all the help I can get."  She looked intently at the abandoned tenement standing before them.  

The building seemed to extinguish what little light there was in the street.  A cold wind whistled through the area causing Lina to shiver and huddle closer to Gourry.  In the distance the faint sounds of screams split the night.  Based on the orange glow in the sky, fires were raging throughout Sairaag.

"What's going on, Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia asked nervously.

"The city is under siege," Zelgadis muttered darkly.  "The dead live again."

Lina sighed and muttered, "Yeah, and you know who's causing it.  Let's get this over with," before limping towards the foreboding building, still being supported by Gourry.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Pursuit into darkness

Notes:  Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.  I think the action was nice and , uh, actiony.  My favorite part was Lina trying to bandage Gourry's head for him.  I also really liked the Gaav part.  It's the little things that I love.

Reader Response:

Pogo, I didn't make up the names Grau and Grou you know.  In Slayers canon, they're the twin priests of Dynast Grauscherra.  And the spider bit reminded you of a nightmare?  Good!  I must have written it well.  

Miss Gabriev, are you saying that I can't kill anyone?  Where's the drama in that?

Otaku girl, that's a lot of questions.  Sylphiel's secret will be revealed in detail in the next chapter.  She's not really a mind reader.  Filia won't be in this story, but might be in the follow up I'm thinking about.  Val MIGHT make an appearance near the end of the story.  He'll definitely be in the sequel.  Regarding X/F, I can't in good conscience support a couple in which one of the members honestly threatens to kill the other.  Call me crazy.  Too many questions?  Not really.  I had just as many answers.

*pulls out a can of raid*  Keep your spiders to yourself if you please, Zaber.

Hmm, I couldn't fool you huh, Stara?  Zel the vampire.  It might be true, but how do you explain the fact that he doesn't die in sunlight and has a reflection?  

CT, you made it easy that time.  All your questions were answered in the chapter.

Thanks for the kind words Sai.  And yes Zelly does have a reflection.  What about it?  Most normal people do you know…

Slash, um, I'll keep your suggestions in mind…  Zel isn't clumsy enough to fall off a building, don't you think?

Aw, don't cry Xelena!  See?  Zel is fine.  

As always, thanks to Boo-san for her betaing.


	15. Descent into Chaos

Lina slowly turned the doorknob, which promptly came off in her hand.  She looked down at it for a moment before dropping it and pushing the door open.

The door creaked loudly as it swung open causing everyone to wince.  When it finally hit the wall, it fell off its hinges and hit the floor with an incredibly loud crash.

Zelgadis smacked his forehead in frustration before leaning forward to whisper in Lina's ear, "Why don't you just tell Hellmaster that we're here?  It'd probably be more subtle."

Lina glared at Zelgadis and elbowed him in the stomach in response.  She cautiously looked around the entryway.

A thick layer of dust coated everything for as far as Lina could see.  Admittedly that was only a few feet as there was no illumination in the building.  There was a trail of footprints in the dust, leading into the darkness.

Lina knelt down and squinted at the footprints.  One set belonged to a child, but there were other larger ones as well.  "Damn it," she muttered quietly.  "If only I had some light…"

Gourry whispered, "Light, huh?"  He quietly drew the Sword of Light and held it out over Lina's head.  "Light come forth!" he yelled, igniting the blade.  "Is that better Lina?" he asked looking down at where she had been crouching a moment before.  She was gone.  "Lina?"

"You… you jellyfish!" Lina snarled from about ten feet down the hall.  "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Oh.  Sorry," Gourry said guiltily.  

"Well, at least we can see the footprints now," Amelia said hopefully.  She began to make her way down the hallway towards Lina.  "It looks like a kid and maybe a woman," she commented as she examined the footprints.

"I'd be inclined to agree," Zelgadis muttered with a nod.  He sniffed the air briefly and made a disgusted face.  "Death.  Hellmaster is here alright."

Lina nodded.  "Right.  And I think it's safe to say that Sylphiel was still alive when she arrived."

Gourry looked at Lina hopefully.  "Do you think so?"

"Yeah," Lina said halfheartedly while pointing at the footprints.  "See?  She walked in here on her own.  We might still have time to save her."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gourry said impatiently.  "Let's go Lina!"  He charged down the hallway looking down every now and then to make sure that the footprints were still there.

"Like a bull in a china shop," Zelgadis muttered darkly as he heard a crash and a yell as Gourry apparently tripped over something.

************************************************************************

"It was the 'Sylphy' that gave you away you know," Hellmaster explained to the trembling Sylphiel.  He was eerily calm now that he had finally figured out what she and Phibrizzo had been doing.  "Stand up and disrobe if you please.  We've wasted too much time already and I'm ready to get this over with."

Sylphiel did as he commanded.  As she stripped she reached out mentally, trying to find the little boy that had shown her that, despite Hellmaster's assurances to the contrary, she was not alone.  Phibrizzo was unable to answer her call, trapped in the farthest recesses of Hellmaster's mind.  Despair settled over her like a shroud.

"I never would have called you Sylphy.  It's the kind of nickname that a child would use," Hellmaster said as he picked up some supplies from the corner of the room.  He walked towards her, continuing to explain, "I never would have expected Phibrizzo to enter your mind when I did.  I was even more surprised when you went back with him.  That's why I couldn't read you."  He stopped in front of her and held up a large needle.  "Give me your hand," he commanded.

Sylphiel shook as she held out her hand to the Hellmaster.

"Now," Hellmaster said with a smirk, "This is really going to hurt."  He jammed the needle into Sylphiel's palm.

************************************************************************

"This way?"  Gourry whispered anxiously.  "Or is it that way?"  He anxiously looked over his shoulder at Lina for directions.

The hallway had split into two paths and with it, Phibrizzo's footprints.  It was as if the boy had suddenly become twins.  Identical sets of prints led down both halls into the darkness.  In addition to Phibrizzo's footprints, there were far fresher ones in the dust that almost obscured his own.

Zelgadis scowled as he knelt down to examine the newer prints.  "Hmm," he muttered darkly before looking up at Lina.  "These are ours.  We're going in circles."

"No way," Lina said with a vehement shake of her head.  "That doesn't make any sense.  This is a straight hallway."  She eyed the juncture in the hall suspiciously.  The architect must have been crazy to design the place like this.  "Or it was anyway," she corrected herself.

Zelgadis rolled his eyes and growled, "I never claimed that it made sense.  Here, take a look for yourself."

Lina knelt down next to Zelgadis and took a closer look at the tracks.  The evidence confirmed what Zelgadis had told her.  "What's going on here?" she asked no one in particular.

"Well, it's not really a normal building is it?" Amelia asked while looking around nervously.

The others looked at her quizzically.

"Can't you feel it?"  Amelia asked them with a shudder.  "It feels like the building's… breathing or something.  I don't know how else to describe it."  She quickly stepped away from the wall, moving to stand next to Zelgadis.  "I think we've been walking for at least ten minutes.  And the building didn't look that big from the outside."  She looked over her shoulder and gasped, "Look at that!"

Lina whirled around expecting some sort of attack, but was surprised to find nothing but the front door to the building.  It was only about twenty feet away.  "Oh, this sucks!" she said angrily.  Feeling the need to vent some frustration, she ran over to the side of the hallway and kicked the wall, splintering the rotted wood.

An instant later, the building groaned and shook violently as if it were on the verge of collapse.  Vast quantities of dust fell from the ceiling and the walls momentarily seemed to twist.  After a few seconds, the building seemed to return to normal.  

"Was it an earthquake?" Amelia asked, almost hopefully.  She would much rather chalk the event up to a natural phenomenon than the alternative.

"What the hell?" Lina whispered.  She glanced down at her foot, then at the wall making the connection.  Frowning, she made a fist and reared back to punch the wall.  A strong hand grabbed her wrist and she turned to see Zelgadis shake his head disapprovingly.

"Don't," he whispered as he glanced around the hallway.  "I have no desire to see what it does when it gets really mad."

Lina nodded slowly, seeing the logic in Zelgadis's statement.  She gave up her experiment and instead turned to follow the footprints again.  They had to end sometime, didn't they?

************************************************************************

Xellos sat in his church trying to ignore the sounds of carnage coming from just outside the door.  His hands shook as he tried to pen a sermon.  There was no doubt that the citizens of Sairaag would need even more guidance than usual in the days to come.  They would come with their questions and he would reassure them as best he could.  "Hellmaster," he muttered darkly as he balled up the parchment he was working on and threw it across the room.  He pulled out a fresh sheet and started anew.  He didn't know why he was bothering.  The odds were definitely in favor of there not being anyone left to listen to his sermon after today.

Xellos was startled out of his dark thoughts by the loud sound of someone pounding on the door.   "For Ceiphied's sake, open the door!" a muffled voice implored.  He sighed and pushed himself back from his desk.  He turned to the door and nodded ever so slightly.

There was a click as the lock disengaged and the door flew open.  A redheaded young lady came tumbling into the church and sprawled out in the aisle.

Just for an instant, Xellos thought that it was Lina, but quickly realized his error when she looked up at him.  There was too much fear behind those eyes for it to be Lina.  He sighed and wondered at the fate of his young charge.  He was forbidden to directly interfere in the events, but that didn't stop him from worrying about her.  

Hmm?  The young lady had said something.  Xellos shook his head and asked, "I'm sorry?"

Anna looked up at the priest incredulously and repeated, "Help me!"  Was the old man deaf or something?

"Oh?" Xellos said with a raised eyebrow.  He looked up to see several of the restless dead staggering through the entryway of the church in pursuit of the girl.  "This will most certainly not do," Xellos muttered angrily as he stood.

To Anna, it appeared as if the priest grew in stature as he stood.  The candles on the desk that he had been sitting at dimmed, yet the room seemed to be even brighter than it had been before.  

Xellos pointed his staff at the dead men and said, "You pathetic creatures have no business with the living.  Return to the abyss that spawned you."

The timbers in the church seemed to groan from the force of Xellos's voice and Anna found herself cowering on the floor with her ears covered.  The dead things regarded Xellos for a moment before collapsing into piles of dust before Anna's eyes.  As she watched, a sudden wind roared through the church sweeping the remains of the dead out the doors and slammed them shut a moment later.

Xellos clapped his hands together, a satisfied smile on his face.  "Better?" he asked Anna as he turned and sat back down at his desk.  He called over his shoulder, "You're welcome to stay until it's over.  No harm will come to you within these walls Anna."

Anna just stared at the priest, her mouth hanging open.  He'd seemed so powerful before, but now that the danger was past, it felt as if he had receded somewhat.  She stood up and hesitantly approached the desk.  "Sir," she asked, her voice full of wonder, "What are you?"  Under normal circumstances, she would have thought the question incredibly rude, but for some reason it felt like the right way to phrase it.

Xellos dipped his quill in the inkwell and continued to write.  He finished off the page with a flourish and turned to Anna with an enigmatic smile on his face.  "That, my dear," he said with a wink, "Is a secret!"

************************************************************************

"Damn it!" Lina shouted as the group came around to where they had started again.  "You stupid building!" she said shaking her fist at the ceiling.

The hallway creaked, sounding almost as if it were laughing.

Lina looked up at the sound of wood cracking overhead.  An instant later a part of the ceiling came crashing down onto her head.  "Oh that is it," she muttered darkly as she shoved the wood off of herself.  She climbed to her feet and drew her sword.   Yelling a fierce battle cry, she charged at the side of the hallway with her blade raised.

A second later, Gourry and Amelia tackled Lina, knocking her to the ground.

"Lina, maybe this isn't such a good idea," Gourry suggested as he struggled to disarm her.

"Miss Lina, get a hold of yourself!" Amelia implored.

Lina snarled, "Let me go guys!  I'm gonna kill that bastard!" as she struggled to escape from her companions' hold.

Zelgadis watched the others roll around on the ground for a moment while massaging his temples.  Seeing that Lina wasn't going to calm down, he finally shouted, "For the love of Ceiphied Lina, listen to yourself!  You're trying to pick a fight with an apartment building!"

"But," Lina pouted while pointing at the wall, "It started it."

Zelgadis scowled and sat down.  "What we need to do is think about this."  He gestured at the mazelike hallway as he continued, "Hellmaster obviously did this to throw off any pursuers."

"All the more reason that we should smash the place up," Lina said while eyeing the walls suspiciously.

Zelgadis sighed and said a quick prayer for patience.  He locked eyes with Lina and said, "I really feel that you should sit down and think."  He reinforced this suggestion with a mental command as well.

Lina stiffened up momentarily before getting a relaxed look on her face.  She smiled at Zelgadis and mumbled, "You're right Zel.  We need to sit down and think about this."

Zelgadis nodded.  "Glad to hear it."  He pointed to a semi clean spot on the floor next to himself.

Gourry and Amelia exchanged incredulous looks as Lina calmly walked over and sat down beside Zelgadis.

Lina closed her eyes and pondered the situation at hand.  A part of her was saying that something was very wrong here.  She quickly shut that part of her mind up.  Zelgadis may have done something to her, but he was right.  Throwing a fit wasn't going to solve anything.

Lina's breathing slowed and her shoulders slumped.  All the events leading up to that moment flashed through her mind at a rapid pace.  Lupin the vampire falling to her stake, meeting Gourry and spending the night in his house, the fight against Dilgear the werewolf, meeting the self proclaimed Slayer Zelgadis, fighting the twins, the day at the circus, Martina's prophesy, and battling the Hellmaster.  All of it was blurred together in one brief moment.

Xellos's voice whispered in the back of her mind, "I think that Ceiphied has a purpose for all of us and finds a way to put us where we are supposed to be."  

Lina's eyes flew open and she found herself holding the medallion of Ceiphied.  "Ceiphied?" she mumbled questioningly as she ran her finger along the silver wings of the Flare Dragon.  That was it.  She stood and walked purposefully to the center of the hallway.

"Lina, what are you doing?" Gourry asked as she walked by.

Zelgadis grabbed Gourry's arm to get his attention and made a shushing motion.

Lina stared down the dark hallway and took a hesitant step.  Before her eyes, the passage groaned and tore itself into two identical passages.  She snorted quietly, a small smile on her face.  She took another step forward and held her medallion out in front of her.

The effect was immediate.  Ceiphied's silver eyes began to flicker.  In a moment, Lina's pendant was glowing brightly, dispelling the darkness around the group.

Amelia and Gourry covered their eyes, trying to avoid the worst of the glare.

Zelgadis hissed in pain and attempted to cover up as the intense light seared his exposed flesh.

Lina stood tall, mesmerized by the light that had incapacitated her companions.  She thought, just for a moment, that she could see Luna smiling at her from just beyond the brilliance.  "Luna…" she said quietly, her voice full of reverence.  

The effect on the building around them was impressive to say the least.  It creaked, sounding almost as if it was roaring in pain as the walls stretched and distorted to escape the horrible light.  The two hallways slammed violently into each other and quickly merged back into a single path.

The light faded.

Gourry called Lina's name and quickly darted forward to catch her before she collapsed to the ground.

"Sis?" Lina asked hopefully as she struggled to focus on Gourry.  A moment later, she smiled tiredly.  "Hi Gourry," she mumbled.

"Hi Lina," Gourry replied with a grin.  He looked up at the hallway, which had taken on a perfectly normal appearance again.  "Can we go now?" he asked her quietly.

Lina looked down the hall and nodded.  "Yeah, we can go now Gourry.  I don't think that we'll have any more trouble."  She tried to rotate her wounded shoulder and grimaced.  It had stiffened up pretty quickly.  "Help me," she said wearily.  "I'm really tired all of a sudden."

Gourry stood next to Lina so that she could lean on him as they made their way down the hall.

"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia said as she reached out to put a hand on his shoulder.  "You look like you're really sunburned."

Zelgadis hissed in pain when Amelia touched the exposed flesh of his shoulder.  Every bit of visible skin on his body was a bright shade of red.  He reached up and removed Amelia's hand from his shoulder.  "Don't touch me," he admonished quietly.  "I'm… I'm not well."  He quickly stumbled down the hallway after Lina and Gourry to avoid any questions from Amelia.

Moments later, they had reached the end of the hall.  A flimsy wooden door stood ajar, as if inviting them to enter.

Lina reached out and yanked the door open forcefully.

A blast of hot air and a powerful stench assaulted the group's senses.

Lina immediately associated the smell with burnt lumber and charred flesh.  For the hundredth time in recent memory, she recalled Luna's horrible death at the hands of the burning creature from her nightmares.

Gourry smelled the rich odor of a swamp.  The smell was identical to the one that had assaulted him when he and Zangulus had fought the restless spirits a couple nights ago.

Zelgadis thought briefly that he was back in his tomb.  The musty odor coming from the bottom of the staircase was identical to that of his stone prison.  He shuddered briefly, wondering if he really was a monster and belonged in a tomb.

Amelia wrinkled her nose in disgust.  It smelled like elephant droppings.  She recalled the unpleasant days of her childhood when she had to help clean out the elephant wagons.  The chore had always managed to make the normally cheerful girl incredibly surly for the rest of the day.

Moving as one, the group descended the stairs into darkness.

************************************************************************

Sylphiel whimpered in pain as Hellmaster set about working her into his tapestry of blood.  "You and the boy almost got me," he said as he ran a length of wire through the palm of her left hand.  He threaded the wire through the cheek of a corpse that was leaning against the wall as he continued speaking.  "Telling Phibrizzo to manipulate me was a stroke of genius.  You guessed that he had some say in what went on in this body.  Or did he tell you that when you visited him?" he asked her curiously.  He quickly shook his head and cinched her hand tightly to the cheek of the body next to hers.  

Sylphiel looked over at the poor soul next to her.  The way that Hellmaster had positioned her hand made it appear as if she were caressing the corpses face lovingly.

"That's very perceptive," Hellmaster said with a nod as he scanned Sylphiel's mind.  "There's far more to Hell than death and destruction you know," he explained.  "Pain, sorrow, fear, fury, and desire.  All the darkest human emotions are a part of my realm," he said as he gestured grandly around the chamber.

Sylphiel looked around, seeing for the first time the horrible meaning to Hellmaster's work.  At first she thought that it had been random carnage.  But the more he explained, the more horrible sense that it made.

The walls of the chamber were a horrible patchwork of humanity.  Dozens of Hellmaster's victims had been brought down into the basement and stitched together in what Sylphiel had originally assumed was a random pattern.  But now she began to understand.

A few feet away from her a man's body had its hands covering its eyes as if weeping over some misfortune.  The body next to that had its hands wrapped around the first's throat giving the appearance that he was strangling him in a fit of rage.

Further along, another unfortunate soul had been skinned and had its mouth wired open as if it were screaming.  Surrounding it were four other figures, whose mouths were positioned at various points on the body.  It appeared that they were devouring the first person.

Sylphiel squeezed her eyes tightly shut, not wanting to see any more of the horror.  A few tears slipped down her cheeks and she silently prayed to Ceiphied for salvation.

"Don't do that," Hellmaster said crossly.  He backhanded Sylphiel across the cheek, distracting her from her prayer and bringing her back to the present.  "I need your opinion on something here," he said seriously.  He held up the hand of the body next to Sylphiel.  "Now, I was going to position this here," he said placing the body's hand on her exposed breast.  "But that just seems so tame, you know?  We're going for gusto here."

Sylphiel briefly wondered when her nightmare would end.  She thought about Gourry and desperately tried to imagine that it was him touching her body instead of Hellmaster's dead puppet.  It was a feeble effort at best as the smell of death surrounded her and the hands caressing her body were cold and lifeless.

"Hey," Hellmaster said jokingly, "Don't think stuff like that Sylphiel.  You're going to hurt his feelings.  "I know!  Maybe if I properly introduced you, you'd feel better about this."  He turned to the corpse and snapped his fingers.  "Hey," he yelled into the body's ear.  "Don't be rude.  Say hello to the nice lady."

Sylphiel turned to look at the dead man despite herself.

The corpses eyelids flickered briefly and flew back to reveal milky white orbs.  Its jaw fell open and it hissed, trying to form a greeting with its rotted vocal cords.  A moment later, a rather large maggot crawled out of its mouth and fell to the floor with an audible plop.

Sylphiel blacked out.

"Spoilsport," Hellmaster muttered angrily.  He turned away from Sylphiel briefly to busy himself with the last touches of the spell that would finally bring this world and his own together.  He knelt in the middle of the chamber and clasped his hands together in a mockery of a prayer.  He muttered words in his dark language and felt the magic begin to grow within the room.  He looked up hopefully and saw the bodies along the walls begin to come to some semblance of life again.  

Quietly at first but quickly growing in volume, the dead began to sing in Hellmaster's dark language.  

Tony, the young boy that Hellmaster had killed several days ago, looked up from his position at the base of the wall.  He had been too small to make his way up to an empty place so had instead stitched himself to another child just a few feet from the floor.  He opened his mouth and tried to add his voice to the chorus, but only managed a dry croak through his slashed throat.

Mimi and Nene, their arms wrapped around one another in a loving embrace, did their best to add their voices to the spell.  This was quite difficult given the fact that Hellmaster had stitched the sisters' lips together in a mockery of a passionate kiss.

Vista, a more recent victim of Hellmaster's ministrations, also made a sad attempt to sing.  Black water poured from his mouth and he made strange gurgling noises.  He had finally managed to find the lake that Hellmaster had told him to jump in and drowned himself.  Afterwards, under cover of darkness, he had made his way to the demon's lair.

All in all, it was a horrible cacophony of darkness.

Hellmaster laughed triumphantly as the floor beneath him began to shimmer.  

The stone quickly turned to liquid and then fell away completely, leaving a black hole that seemed to spiral down into eternity.  The edges of the pit wobbled as if on the verge of collapse, but held steady.  

"This is it!" Hellmaster shrieked gleefully.  He turned back to Sylphiel.  One more sacrifice and the portal would be stabilized.  Then his task would finally be complete.  He advanced on her menacingly.  He'd do something elaborate with her.  Something memorable.  She looked so angelic.  There had to be something he could do with that wasn't there?

Hellmaster's smile grew even larger.  That was it.  Sylphiel's appearance screamed innocence.  She was angelic.  He'd turn her into a mockery of an angel.  Different methods of doing so flew through his twisted mind.  He finally settled on the idea of skinning her and stretching the skin out behind her to simulate wings.  That would be a lovely slap in the face for Ceiphied wouldn't it?

"How about that, you old bastard?" Hellmaster called out defiantly.  As he expected, the Flare Dragon had nothing to say in response.

Hellmaster raised his knife and laid the blade against Sylphiel's throat.  "Say goodnight Sylphy," he giggled. 

"Hellmaster!" a familiar voice yelled, barely audible over the frenzied howling of the damned. 

Hellmaster's eye twitched and he slowly turned towards the stairway.  "Inverse," he hissed darkly.  He laughed when he saw the pathetic group standing before him.  "Oh my!  Had a rough day?"

Lina leaned tiredly on Gourry, the shoulder of her cloak almost black from the amount of blood she had lost.  There was still a determined glint in her eyes though as she glared at Hellmaster.

Gourry pointed the Sword of Light at Hellmaster with one hand while supporting Lina with the other.  His normally blond hair looked as if it had been dyed red.  A ragged bandage barely clung to the gash on his wounded forehead.

Zelgadis struggled to stand tall, but the events of the evening had obviously had an effect on him as well.  His unnaturally pink skin had begun to blister and he was breathing hard.  His forehead was bathed in sweat and his sword wobbled uncertainly in his grasp.

Finally, there was Amelia.  The only one to come through the evening's events unharmed, she still seemed to be most ready to surrender.  Her eyes darted around the room at Hellmaster's tapestry.  She clutched compulsively at the ring hanging from the simple chain around her neck as she trembled uncontrollably.

Hellmaster snickered again.  "I'm sorry, but do you honestly expect to fight me with these people Lina?  You all look like you're ready to drop dead if you walked across the room to get to me."

Lina grinned at the Hellmaster exhaustedly.  "We're not here to fight you," she corrected.

"Oh?" Hellmaster said with a raised eyebrow.

Lina grimaced in pain as she drew her sword and pointed it at Hellmaster.  Her eyes burned with fierce resolve as she said, "We're here to beat you."

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Lina vs. The Hellmaster

Notes:  Did everyone enjoy the chapter?  You sickos!  Just kidding!  Here's an interesting tidbit about this chapter.  The scene with the tapestry of people is actually based on a nightmare I had about 6 months ago.  The dream was a lot more vivid than I made the chapter.  Not for a lack of trying though.

Reader Response:

Otaku girl, I try to update every Saturday or Sunday night.  Just to give you an idea of how long you have to wait.  Hmm, watch me not finish 16 on time now that I've said that…

Miss Gabriev, how do I keep doing that?  Easily.  Never make it easy for the heroes.  If a hero isn't faced with difficult trials he/she is hardly heroic, right?

Dragonet, Luna involved in the story?  You're absolutely right!  Lina spends a lot of time comparing herself to Luna and will end up finding out a lot more about her life as a Slayer in the next part of the story.  

That's odd though.  You're the first person that's told me that about the Grau/Grou thing.  I'd always heard that Dynast had created twin priests myself.

More Gaav Pogo?  Hmm, I'll see what I can do…

CT, Zel will reveal the truth to Amelia when he's good and ready… meaning that he'll do it when he has no other choice.

Xelena, Gourry may be a goof sometimes, but not when it comes to combat.  He actually gets quite lethal at times.

The land of the giant spiders, Zaber?  But how ever will I update the story?  Oh well.  *rides off into the sunset on Spot the giant spider*

A special thanks to my guest beta reader Pogo!  Excellent work!


	16. Hellmaster revealed

Lina glanced around the room and shuddered.  She knew that Hellmaster's lair wouldn't be pleasant, but this...  This was wrong.  She frowned, noting the large number of children woven into the tapestry.  Her gaze finally settled on Phibrizzo once again and she muttered, "You bastard," under her breath.  

Hellmaster cocked his head and grinned.  "Now, now," he said waggling a finger disapprovingly, "It's not polite to insult your host in his home."

"That's a lie!" Amelia yelled angrily.  She pointed at Hellmaster accusingly and said, "This isn't your home!  You don't belong here!"  A moment before, she had been hiding behind Zelgadis, but Hellmaster's words had ignited something within her.  The way he had said it, as if this monstrous room was supposed to exist, had infuriated the young acrobat.  "Nobody should ever suffer like this!" she yelled as she took a step towards Phibrizzo.  

Hellmaster blinked at Amelia's verbal onslaught and took a small step back in spite of himself.  

Zelgadis quickly wrapped an arm around Amelia's waist to keep her from charging at Hellmaster.  "Amelia," he yelled, trying to be heard over the singing of the dead, "Calm down!  This won't help anything!"

Amelia looked at Zelgadis, unshed tears sparkling in her blue eyes.  Didn't he understand how wrong the whole situation was?  Hellmaster, this room, the chaos in Sairaag, it was all so wrong.

"I know," Zelgadis said reassuringly, almost as if hearing Amelia's thoughts.  "We're going to make it right though."  He gazed into her eyes and asked, "Do you believe me?"

Amelia nodded slowly, feeling a wave of euphoria wash over her as she looked into Zelgadis's eyes.  The sadness and anger she had felt moments ago was gone.

Hellmaster sneered at Zelgadis.  "Planning to make a meal out of her, are you Zelgadis?"

Zelgadis was startled out of his rapport with Amelia by Hellmaster's words.  "That's… that's not true," he stammered defensively.  He put an arm around Amelia's shoulders and pulled her closer to himself.

Lina scrutinized Zelgadis while he was focused on Hellmaster.  He had the power of suggestion she suddenly realized.  The way he had calmed her down back in the apartment building and now with Amelia.  She'd heard stories about vampires with that kind of power, but had never seen it until now.  That would definitely be something to look out for assuming they survived the next couple minutes.

"Lina look," Gourry said, pointing at something on the far wall.

Lina looked up to see Sylphiel hanging a few feet off the ground, supported by the poor creatures stitched around her.  "She's alive," Lina said.  "I'm sure of it.  Go get her.  I'll distract Hellmaster."  She stepped away from Gourry and advanced on Hellmaster.  "Hey," she called out, "Are you ready to finish this Hellmaster?"

Hellmaster chuckled and said, "Simple girl.  Don't you know that it's already finished?  The dead live again and as soon as I finish off Sylphiel the portal between this world and Hell will finally be opened."  He pointed at the vortex that consumed most of the floor and smirked.  

Lina took a hesitant step forward and looked over the edge into oblivion.  Shadows seemed to swirl in the darkness and there was the sound of a high wind, but other than that, nothing.  "What am I seeing here?" she wondered aloud while giving Hellmaster an inquisitive look.

Hellmaster shrugged and said, "Your pitiful little mind can't comprehend the splendor of my realm.  I'll send you there presently though.  You'll get an insider's view."  He muttered a few dark words and Phibrizzo's body was suddenly wracked with horrible spasms.  He hissed at Lina through clenched teeth, "You'll see soon enough.  Mark my words, Inverse.  The darkness has teeth."

Lina gazed into the vortex.  There was something seductive about the darkness.  Hell really didn't look that bad.  Overcome by curiosity, she actually found herself toying with the idea of stepping through it.  

A strong hand on Lina's shoulder brought her back to reality and she turned to see Zelgadis standing next to her.  "What do you think you're doing?" he asked while looking at her as if she had gone mad.

"I… I don't know," she muttered, tearing her eyes away from the portal.  "Hellmaster," she said forcefully.  She had to focus on the task at hand.  Not that darkness.  "Why are you doing this?" she asked, not really caring, but wanting something to concentrate on.

"To bring our worlds together in a joyous union," Hellmaster said.  "It's only a matter of time now."

"But why?" Lina asked, now genuinely curious.  "Why would you want to conquer our world?"

"Conquer?" Hellmaster said, a look of surprise on his face.  "My purpose in your world is not conquest.  I'm here to take back what is rightfully ours."

Now it was Lina's turn to look surprised.  "What do you mean by that?"

"I wouldn't expect a pitiful mortal like you to understand," Hellmaster sneered.  "Blinded by your loyalty to that decrepit old Flare Dragon, I doubt that you would hear me out, let alone believe me."  He crouched down and hands and knees and bellowed, "Enough talk Lina!  You hurt me before.  Few have ever done so.  So, now I will bestow a great honor upon you."  He looked up at the Slayer and grinned wickedly.  "Behold my true form!"

Before Lina's eyes, the child became something more.  

The child's body grew in stature until he was a few feet taller than Lina.  His skin stretched, struggling to contain the changing form.  It tore in several places exposing raw muscle.  Jagged talons tore through the flesh of the boy's fingers and cruel fangs far too large for his mouth split his lips.  Wicked protrusions jutted painfully from Phibrizzo's forehead for a moment before splitting the skin with an audible rip and springing free.  At that exact moment, a long barbed tail erupted from his lower back.  His eyes grew wide and seemed to swell momentarily before popping in a spray of fluid.  Cruel red light flickered in the child's ruined sockets.

"Oh god," Lina whispered.  She thought that somehow she'd be able to save Phibrizzo, but all vestiges of that poor child had been swept away in an instant.  Instinctively, she clutched her medallion, actually cutting her fingertips open on Ceiphied's sharp wings.  It was another small pain compared to the others she had experienced that day and she didn't even notice.

Hellmaster laughed cruelly, his voice no longer even remotely resembling that of a child.  He took a step towards Lina, sending a small tremor through the floor and growled, "I'm going to gobble you up Lina."  He ran an obscenely long forked tongue over the bloody remains of his lips.  A thick strand of black saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.  It landed on the floor with a disgusting splat and immediately began to eat through the stone.

Lina's wounded shoulder shifted painfully as she placed both hands on the hilt of her sword.  She defiantly walked forward into the Hellmaster's shadow and raised her blade until it was pointed at the demon's throat.  "You think you're going to eat me?" Lina said in a quivering voice.  "I think you've bitten off a lot more than you can chew, pal."  Even if she couldn't save Phibrizzo, she could still try to make Hellmaster pay.

"So what's the plan Lina?" Zelgadis growled as he assumed a defensive stance beside the redhead.

Lina chuckled nervously.  "You know I didn't really think that far ahead.  I was pretty much focused on finding Hellmaster and, well," she said pointing at the demon with a stupid grin on her face, "There he is!  Mission accomplished, huh?"

Zelgadis smacked his forehead in frustration.  "Why am I not surprised?" he muttered darkly.

"Well, it's not like I do this every day you know!" Lina snapped.  "This is the Hellmaster!  The most powerful demon ever created!  Besides, I don't hear you making any suggestions, stupid!"

"Stupid?" Zelgadis repeated incredulously.  His eye twitched as he yelled, "Did you just call me stupid?!"

Amelia cautiously inserted herself between Zelgadis and Lina.  "Guys, I don't really think that this is the best time to be discussing this," she suggested with a nervous chuckle.  "Um, guys?"

"That's right!  Stupid!  Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Lina yelled, drowning out Amelia's feeble attempts at making peace.  She stuck out her tongue at Zelgadis.

"What are you, six?!" Zelgadis retorted.  "No, scratch that.  I've seen six year olds with more sense than you!" he sneered.

"Look out!" Amelia screeched, finally getting the others' attention.

Lina and Zelgadis looked up just in time to see the Hellmaster's barbed tail whipping towards them at waist level.

************************************************************************

Vrumugun was just finishing up a report in his office when he first sensed that something was amiss.  There was the grating sound of shuffling footsteps in the hallway just outside his door.  He sighed and put his quill back in the inkwell.  Slayers prided themselves on their ability to move like shadows in the night.  Whoever was out in the hall was making enough noise to wake the dead.  Disciplinary action was in order.

Fixing a scowl upon his face, Vrumugun abruptly pulled the office door open, intending to startle the intruder.  He gasped when the rotted corpse of a long dead priest flung itself through the doorway, knocking him forcefully onto his back.

Vrumugun gagged at the stench of the man as he struggled to fend the creature off.  Barely holding it at bay, he glanced at his desk.  His sword lay against the chair, a few feet away from his position.  

Elbowing the thing in the jaw, Vrumugun bought himself enough time to turn over onto his stomach.  He quickly scrabbled over towards the blade but was halted by the creature's weight landing on his back.

Vrumugun's fingers brushed against the blade, knocking it to the floor, just out of reach again.

The priest hissed and began to rake Vrumugun's back with its bony fingers, slicing the Slayer's cloak to tatters and leaving long bloody gashes in his flesh.

Vrumugun quietly grunted in pain and dragged himself another few inches towards his blade.  He grasped it tightly and was about to turn when he felt the creature's teeth sink into the side of his neck.

************************************************************************

Gourry watched Lina and the others apprehensively.  He desperately wanted to be fighting beside her, but at the moment Sylphiel needed his help more.  Besides, he begrudgingly admitted as he watched her nimbly leap over a swing of Hellmaster's tail, she could take care of herself when she needed to.

Cautiously, Gourry crept around the edge of the chamber, trying to stay in the shadows while avoiding the hands of the people woven to the wall.  He looked at them briefly, wondering if they were even aware anymore.  He hoped not.  Another few feet and he finally reached Sylphiel.

Sensing danger, the corpse that was closest to her turned to face Gourry and hissed at him.  An instant after Gourry drew the Sword of Light, it was missing both its arms and its head.

Gourry quickly sheathed the Sword of Light and worked to untangle Sylphiel from the wall.  He grimaced when he saw that the Hellmaster had punctured her hand to bind her to the wall.  He briefly wondered why anyone would want to do something like that to good-hearted Sylphiel, but quickly decided that was a question for another time.  

************************************************************************

Deep within the recesses of the Hellmaster's mind was a dirty little room with rusty bars on the doors and window.  The quiet sound of a weeping child echoed through the darkness. 

Phibrizzo was curled up in the corner of the cell that the Hellmaster had created for him   He sobbed quietly, afraid that he'd never see Sylphy again.  It was sad.  She was a nice lady.  All the others that Hellmaster had killed had been too scared to talk to Phibrizzo.

Sylphy was different though.  When Hellmaster had gone into her mind and told her that she was alone and no one cared about her, Phibrizzo had talked to her.  He sniffed, recalling the first time they had talked.

Phibrizzo had been watching the pretty lady cry for a few minutes from behind a large rock.  She'd been sitting alone in the middle of a desolate wasteland.  There hadn't been a living thing for miles around.  The Hellmaster had left her there in total isolation.  

Deciding that Hellmaster wasn't going to be back for a little while, Phibrizzo hesitantly came out from his hiding place.  He quietly cleared his throat and said, "Hello."

Sylphiel had been frightened when she saw Phibrizzo and cowered.  "Please," she had pleaded, "I don't want to see anything else."  She stood and was about to run when he called out.

"Please Miss, don't go!" Phibrizzo had said, raw desperation in his voice.  Sylphiel had been the first person he'd seen in so long and he didn't think he could stand for her to leave.

Sylphiel had stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at him.  "You're not him are you?" she asked while taking a tentative step towards him.

Phibrizzo shook his head and said, "No Miss."  He paused for a moment before continuing.  "He showed you bad things, didn't he?  He does that to me a lot."

Sylphiel knelt down in front of Phibrizzo and looked into his eyes.  "You know what he is, don't you?"

Phibrizzo nodded and said, "He's the Hellmaster.  He tells me that that a lot."

Sylphiel's eyes widened in horror and she clapped a hand to her mouth.  "Oh god," she whispered.  The Hellmaster.  The greatest and vilest of Shabranigdo's servants.  What did a demon like that want with her?

Phibrizzo looked around apprehensively, seeing black storm clouds brewing on the horizon.  Hellmaster was coming back.  He grabbed Sylphiel's hand and pulled her to her feet.  "Come on Miss," he said as he watched the storm approach.  "He'll hurt you if he finds you again."

That was how it had begun.  Phibrizzo had taken Sylphiel back into the recesses of his own mind, right under the Hellmaster's nose.  There, they had planned.

Phibrizzo was startled back to the present by the sound of knocking on the bars of the cell.  He looked up and grinned when he saw a familiar face standing outside the cell.  "Sylphy!"  

************************************************************************

Hellmaster laughed as he toyed with Lina and the others.  He whipped his tail around just over their heads and growled, "Pitiful!  Is that really the best you can do Inverse?"

Lina nimbly leapt back out of Hellmaster's range and frowned.  He was toying with them and there was nothing that they could do about it.  "Damn it," she muttered, "We've got to get close to him if we want to beat him."

Amelia mulled over Lina's words for a moment before formulating a brilliant plan.  She yelled, "Don't worry, Miss Lina!  I'll take care of this!" as she sprang into action.  She darted to the side and leapt high into the air.  A moment later, she'd braced her feet against one of the bodies bound to the wall.  A cocky grin on her face, she pushed off, flipping in midair before coming to rest on Hellmaster's tail.  Quickly she dropped to all fours and wrapped her arms and legs around the thrashing appendage.  "Go get him, Miss Lina!" she called out triumphantly.  "I've got his tail!"  She looked at the bewildered expressions on Lina and Zelgadis's faces and realized what she had done.  "Why have I got his tail?!" she shrieked.

Hellmaster chuckled and casually flicked the annoying acrobat off, launching her across the chamber.  There was a loud thud as she slammed into the far wall face first.  He glanced at Zelgadis and smirked before saying, "Tear her apart."

Hellmaster's tapestry immediately responded.

"Ow," Amelia whimpered as she massaged the rapidly growing knot on her head.  She yelped in surprise as she felt a half dozen hands yank her off the ground.  A pair of arms snaked around her throat and began to twist her head painfully to the side.  Another hand grabbed a clump of her hair and started to tug on it violently shaking her head back and forth.  More hands ensnared her flailing limbs and began to pull her every which way.  "Mr. Zelgadis," she hissed pleadingly, unable to draw enough breath to yell out loud.

************************************************************************

"Sylphy!" Phibrizzo repeated enthusiastically.  He jumped to his feet and ran to the door of the cell.  He hugged Sylphiel as best he could through the rusty bars.  "How'd you get back here?" he asked a moment later.

"I think Hellmaster's distracted," Sylphiel said while looking around the chamber.  It had become a lot darker and dirtier since the last time she had been here.

"Yeah," Phibrizzo said, noticing Sylphiel's attention to the chamber.  "He's been changing things around since you left."  

Sylphiel frowned as she looked around.  Phibrizzo's mind had been bright and vibrant before.  Now the colors had become dull.  The corners of the chamber were a nightmare of impossible angles and darkness.  What was Hellmaster doing to the boy?  She looked back at Phibrizzo and smiled.  "We have to get you out of here."

Phibrizzo shook his head and said, "I can't get the door open.  He locked it this time."

There was a loud click and the cell door swung slowly open.  

"How?" Phibrizzo asked, looking to Sylphiel for answers.

"He doesn't have time to watch you right now," Sylphiel answered.  She cocked her head, as if hearing a voice and smiled at Phibrizzo apologetically.  "I have to go," she said sadly.

"No!" Phibrizzo yelled.  He quickly stepped out of the cell and tried to hug Sylphiel.  To his shock, he passed right through her.  Without having anything to grab onto, he overbalanced and fell to his hands and knees.  "Huh?"

Sylphiel knelt beside Phibrizzo, looking more and more intangible by the second.  "I don't have much time, so listen to me.  The others can't stop Hellmaster by themselves.  You have to help."

Phibrizzo shook his head vehemently.  "I can't do it by myself Sylphy!  Stay with me!"  His words echoed through the empty chamber.  Sylphiel was gone and he was alone again.

************************************************************************

"Amelia!" Zelgadis yelled as he bolted across the chamber, leaving an exhausted Lina to face the Hellmaster alone.

"Lovely," Lina growled as she looked up at the demon looming over her.  She scowled and said, "Well, are you ready to give up yet?"  She leapt back as Hellmaster lunged at her, imbedding his talons in the floor where she'd been standing a moment before.  "I guess that's a no."

************************************************************************

Xellos set down his quill and sighed.  "How very dull," he muttered to himself.  The priest's superior had told him in no uncertain terms that he was forbidden to interfere in the events that were unfolding.  Quite dull indeed.  Just watching couldn't really be construed as interference, could it?  Of course it couldn't, he decided after a moment of consideration.  Besides, it wasn't every day that one had the opportunity to witness the end of the world.      

His decision made, Xellos turned to his crimson haired guest and winked at her mischievously.  "I'm sorry Anna, but I've just recalled a previous engagement.  See you."  He stood and made a show of leaning heavily on his staff while he made his way towards the door.

"A previous engagement?" Anna repeated, on the verge of hysterics.  "Out there?!" she asked, pointing at the door.  The sound of screaming could be faintly heard through the wood.

"Well, of course," Xellos said as if going out into the maelstrom of death was the most natural thing in the world.  "Oh," he said while scratching his head, "Did you want to come too?"

Anna shook her head slowly.

"To each their own, I suppose."  Xellos nodded amicably as he continued past her.  He paused at the threshold of the cathedral and called over his shoulder, "You really are safe in here.  And I doubt that you'll have to wait for very long.  I expect things will be over soon, one way or the other.  Bye!"  Saying that, he pushed the doors open and calmly walked out into the chaos.

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"Sylphiel?" Gourry whispered.  He gently lowered the dark haired girl to the floor, out of reach of the grasping hands of the wall.  "Sylphiel?" he repeated, lightly slapping her cheek.

Sylphiel moaned and slowly opened her eyes.  "Phibrizzo?" she muttered while looking around for the young boy.  He'd been with her a moment ago.  She finally saw Gourry kneeling beside her and gasped in surprise.  "Is it… is it really you, Gourry dear?" she asked cautiously.  She reached out with her injured hand and tentatively touched his face.  "It is you," she said, a smile forming on her face.  She flung her arms around his neck and held him tightly.  "I was so scared!"

"It's okay," Gourry muttered embarrassedly.  Sylphiel was a little closer than he was used too and quite naked on top of that.  He tried to look her over for injuries but found the situation to be a little too awkward.  He ended up staring at the floor as he muttered, "Are you alright, Sylphiel?"

Sylphiel nodded shyly, her face quickly turning a bright shade of red.  "I'm fine, Gourry dear."  She smiled up at him.  Hellmaster had been lying to her after all.  Here was her Gourry, her knight in shining armor, risking his life to save her.  Despite the horrible situation and the fact that it was far from over, she felt strangely happy.  Impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed Gourry.  Her eyes slid closed as she savored the moment.

After a moment, Sylphiel sensed something was amiss.  Shouldn't Gourry have been kissing her in return?  She opened her eyes to see him looking at something across the room.  She turned to see Lina fighting a desperate battle against a huge demon.  She turned back to Gourry, painful comprehension finally dawning on her.  He didn't love her.

"Sylphiel?"

Sylphiel looked up at Gourry and forced herself to smile.

"Will you be okay?" Gourry asked.  "Lina needs my help against Hellmaster."

"Hellmaster?" Sylphiel muttered quizzically.  She took another look at the demon and got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.  She grabbed Gourry by the collar and asked, "Where's Phibrizzo?!"

Gourry was taken aback by Sylphiel's sudden display of aggressiveness and said, "Phibrizzo?"

"He's a sweet little boy," Sylphiel explained patiently.  "Hellmaster's been using him to carry out his plan."

Gourry wordlessly pointed at the demon.  "Well, that guy was a little boy a few minutes ago."

"Oh no," Sylphiel whispered before turning back to the swordsman.  "Please listen carefully.  You can't let Lina hurt him!  Phibrizzo is in there somewhere.  I have to save him."  She looked at Gourry pleadingly.  "I promised him that I'd save him."

"Oh boy, Lina's not going to like this," Gourry said apprehensively while shaking his head.  He stood and, drawing the Sword of Light, charged into the fray.

Sylphiel watched Gourry leave with a concerned look on her face.  He didn't love her, but that didn't mean that she didn't care for him.  Shaking her head, she turned to the task at hand.  Despite the fact that she couldn't fight Hellmaster directly, she couldn't just sit idly by.  She must be able to help in some capacity.  "A demon.  Hellmaster is a demon," she whispered, the beginnings of a plan forming in her mind.  She scrambled to her feet and ran over to where her clothes were piled on the floor.

"It has to be here somewhere," Sylphiel said almost pleadingly as she rummaged through the pile.  She momentarily worried that Hellmaster had taken it away, when she heard the sound of something metallic hitting the floor behind her.  Her face lit up as she turned to see a shiny medallion of Ceiphied sticking out of a crack between two stones.   

Sylphiel quickly snatched it up wondering how it had gotten there.  She examined it for a moment.  It was definitely the medallion that her father had given her.  Made from steel, it wasn't as shiny as Lina's, but the craftsmanship was unequalled.

Sylphiel clasped her hands together around the medallion, smearing it with her blood.  Ignoring the pain, she began to quietly recite a prayer for purity.  "Oh great and noble Ceiphied.  Come before me and deliver us from evil…"

Unseen by the dark haired girl, a certain purple haired priest stepped back into the shadows of the chamber.  He cocked his head and grinned mischievously.  "Oh, not at all," he said with a waggle of his finger.  "I'm afraid that I must respectfully disagree.  I'm not interfering.  I prefer to think of it as giving them a nudge in the right direction."

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"Amelia!" Zelgadis shouted as he hewed at the myriad limbs pulling the acrobat every which way.  

All that could be seen of Amelia were her terrified blue eyes.  The tapestry had almost engulfed her completely.

"Damn you!" he snarled as a grasping hand yanked his sword free of his hand and flung it away.  "Let her go!" he demanded.  He began to tear at the bodies with his bare hands, pulling large chunks of rotten flesh and bone away from the bodies.

Ever so slowly, Zelgadis began to make headway in his attempt to reach Amelia.

************************************************************************

Gaav laughed as another wave of dead criminals poured through the doorway of the station.  "Fresh meat!  Let's go!" he called out to less than enthusiastic guards huddling behind him.  "What's the matter, ladies?  Do you want to live forever?!"

"Well, now that you mention it…" Zangulus mumbled under his breath.

Gaav grinned and grabbed the back of Zangulus's cloak with one huge hand.  "Come on, Zangladus!  Those bastards aren't going to kill themselves you know!  Get in there!"  He effortlessly lifted the swordsman off the ground.

"You… You wouldn't!" Zangulus stammered.  A jovial laugh was his answer and he suddenly found himself flying through the air towards the throng of zombies.  He looked over his shoulder and shouted, "You ass!" before being swallowed by the crowd.

Gaav laughed again as he waded into the melee, broadsword swinging.  "That's the spirit Zangladus!  We'll make a warrior out of you yet!"

************************************************************************

"She said what?!" Lina said as she narrowly avoided another swing of Hellmaster's tail.

"She said not to hurt him," Gourry repeated as he deflected a swipe of Hellmaster's talons with the Sword of Light.

"Well, how the hell am I supposed to beat him then?!" Lina demanded.  "Harsh language?!"

Gourry shrugged apologetically and grinned.  "She said that the boy was still alive, so you probably shouldn't kill him."

"Still alive?" Lina muttered, hardly daring to hope.  She looked at Hellmaster.  Could Phibrizzo really still be alive, hidden behind that monstrous visage?  She thought that he'd been killed when Hellmaster assumed that form, but maybe…  She felt a twinge of hope and smiled.  There was still a chance then.

"So," Gourry said nervously, "If we're not going to hurt him, how are we going to beat him?"

Lina turned to Gourry and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.  Her mind had suddenly become a complete blank.  "Well, uh, yeah," she stammered, nodding as if she had said something quite profound.

Gourry raised a questioning eyebrow and was about to ask Lina to elaborate on her brilliant strategy when Hellmaster lunged towards her.  

Gourry darted forward, shoving Lina out of the way.  An instant later, he was snatched off the ground by a fist the size of his torso.  The Sword of Light was knocked from his grasp and fell at Lina's feet.

Hellmaster chuckled wickedly and began to squeeze.

Gourry groaned in pain.  The pressure on his chest was making it hard to breathe and he was seeing black spots.  He looked down to see Lina staring up at him, totally motionless.  Why was she just standing there?  He gritted his teeth and spat out a single word wit the last of his air. "Run!"

Lina trembled at the raw fury in Gourry's voice.  "I… I won't leave you!" she stammered, only to receive a furious glare from the swordsman.  She took a hesitant step backwards, before shaking her head determinedly.  She grabbed the Sword of Light and prepared to charge the Hellmaster, who was watching the exchange with an amused expression on his face.  "Light come forth!" she commanded.

The blade sprang into existence, bathing the chamber in its holy light, and making the mighty Hellmaster hesitate.  In that brief moment, Lina thought that there was hope.  Then, her mind was flooded with self-doubt.  She hadn't been able to use the sword before so why would it be any different now?

Sensing her confusion, the blade flickered and disappeared, leaving the exhausted Lina defenseless.

Hellmaster laughed and brought Gourry up to his mouth.  "Down the hatch," he snickered wickedly before opening his mouth.  There was a loud crack, and his jaw unhinged like a snake's to reveal row upon row of bloody misshapen teeth.

"Stupid!" Gourry wheezed.  He spat up a small amount of blood and sucked in a shallow breath.  "Run away," he said, imploring Lina to obey him with his eyes.  "Please," he mouthed inaudibly.

"Gourry," Lina whispered, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.  She was about to turn and obey his command when Hellmaster called out to her.

"Wait a moment, Lina.  I'd hate for you to miss this.  How far do you think I can spit his head?"  Hellmaster snickered wickedly and tried to bite down on Gourry's head.  His mouth began to close, but stopped short just before reaching his meal.  The cruel glee on his face was quickly replaced by a look of consternation and he muttered, "What the hell?  I can't kill him."  Changing tactics, he tried to crush the life out of the swordsman, but found himself loosening his grip instead.  "Phibrizzo!" he bellowed.  "I'll skin you alive you little bastard!"

Lina looked incredibly bewildered at the events unfolding in front of her.  "Phibrizzo?" she whispered.  Then, something incredibly strange happened.

Hellmaster began to shrink.  

"What the hell is happening to me?" Hellmaster demanded.  He glared at Lina who could only shrug in confusion.  The Slayer apparently had nothing to do with this alarming development.  

Hellmaster's massive frame was quickly dwindling.  His tail dropped off his body and thrashed about on the ground for a moment before laying still.  He screamed in agony, as the process of turning into a demon seemed to run in reverse.  His skin mended itself as his stature receded.  His horns retracted into his skull and a mess of unruly black hair sprung from his scalp.  The red light in his eye sockets faded only to be replaced by renewed amber colored eyes.

Gourry fell to the floor in a heap.  He wasn't moving.

Lina ran over to the swordsman and knelt down beside him.  She gingerly cradled his head in her lap and breathed a sigh of relief.  Praise Ceiphied.  He was still breathing.  She chuckled quietly and began to cry.  Without realizing what she was doing, she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.  "Don't ever do that again," she gently admonished.  "Do you hear me, you… you jellyfish?  I'm not worth it."

Gourry didn't respond.

"What happened?" Hellmaster asked nobody in particular.  He was crouched on his hands and knees, now fully back in the form of Phibrizzo.  "What the hell happened?" he growled looking around the room.  Lina?  No, she had been just as confused as he was.  Zelgadis?  He was busy pulling that stupid acrobat of his collapsing tapestry.  Collapsing?

Before Hellmaster's horrified eyes, the tapestry of blood was coming undone.  The rusty wire that had bound the bodies together in a disturbing union was melting.  Innumerable corpses rained down upon the chamber floor, exposing the bare walls behind them.

"No," Hellmaster whispered, his eyes as big as saucers.  His beautiful work was being ruined.  The voices of the dead had been silenced.  "No," he repeated, raw desperation in his voice.  It was coming apart.  Everything was collapsing.  His eyes focused on the portal in the center of the room.  "NO!" he shrieked, noting that it was rapidly closing.  "My plan!  My beautiful plan!  Who?" he demanded letting the question trail off.  

A woman's voice answered Hellmaster's query.  "Let all things be infused with your holy light…"

Hellmaster, a murderous expression on his face, turned to see Sylphiel kneeling, her hands clasped in prayer.  "You…" he snarled taking a step towards the healer.  "You…  YOU WHORE!" he bellowed, breaking into a run.  He'd pluck her eyes out and make her eat them for this.  Followed by her fingers.  And then he would make her suffer.  Oh, yes indeed.

"…and dispel the Shadow wherever it- hmm?" Sylphiel said, startled out of her prayer by Hellmaster's yell.  She looked up just in time to see the furious child fling himself at her.

Hellmaster bowled Sylphiel over and straddled her chest.  He grabbed two fistfuls of her hair and began to savagely smash her head against the floor.  He snarled, "Bleed you stupid bitch!  Do you know what you've done?!  A millennium of work down the drain!  Do you have any idea of how long a thousand years is?!  It's a long damn time!  Do you think I did all this for fun?!  Well, do you?!"

In the corner of the room Xellos had a hand clapped over his mouth, desperately struggling to contain his mirth.  It seemed that the world would keep turning for a little longer.  And it was incredibly fulfilling to see the Hellmaster lose his temper.  

Hellmaster found himself lifted from atop Sylphiel by the back of his shirt and ended up face to face with an incredibly unhappy Zelgadis.  "Oh, hello," he said, a big fake smile plastered on his face.  "Don't mind us.  We were just discussing-"

Zelgadis slammed his fist into Hellmaster's nose, turning it into a bloody mess.  He flung the boy away from himself in disgust.

Hellmaster landed roughly on his butt a few feet away.  "Damn it!" he yelled, cupping his ruined nose.  "What is it with you people and breaking my nose?"

Zelgadis stepped towards Hellmaster with his sword raised.

"Don't hurt him," Sylphiel pleaded, wrapping her arms around Zelgadis's ankle.  "Please."

Zelgadis looked down at the healer briefly and his expression softened ever so slightly.  "Alright," he whispered as he lowered his sword.  "Help her," he said to Amelia while pointing at Sylphiel.

"Lina staggered to her feet and glared down at Hellmaster.  "You've lost," she stated flatly.

"Only because the bitch screwed up my spell with her incessant whining to Ceiphied," Hellmaster said while glaring daggers at Sylphiel.

"Don't call her that," Zelgadis said.  "She's the reason you're still alive."

"And, oh boy, do I appreciate it," Hellmaster sarcastically retorted.  "Do you maggots have the slightest idea of what the boss is going to do to me when I get back home?"

"It's over Hellmaster.  Let him go," Lina commanded.

"Who?" Hellmaster asked, his voice dripping with false innocence.

"The little boy!" Amelia yelled from where she was helping Sylphiel to a sitting position.

"Oh!" Hellmaster said, smacking his fist into his palm.  "Phibrizzo!"  

Suddenly, the entire chamber began to shake as Hellmaster's spell failed.  The building was coming apart at the seams.

"Look out!" Zelgadis yelled as he dove out of the way of a falling support beam.

Sensing his opportunity, Hellmaster made a mad dash towards the unstable portal.  He yelled over his shoulder, "Sorry kids, I'm afraid that Phibrizzo's coming with me.  I'll enjoy flaying his flesh from his bones.  Ta ta!" he said, waving cheerfully before disappearing into the vortex.

Zelgadis snorted.  "Well at least that's over."  He turned to see Lina kneeling next to Gourry.  "Oh no.  You're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?" 

Lina picked up the Sword of Light.  "I need to borrow this," she calmly explained to the unconscious swordsman.  She didn't know if she'd be able to use it, but it was worth a try.

Zelgadis protested, "You can't be serious!  You know that this is exactly what Hellmaster expects you to do, right?  Lina, listen to me for a second!  That is Hell!"  He jabbed a finger in the direction of the portal to emphasize his point.  "Do you know what that means?!"

The redhead gave Zelgadis a devil may care grin as she continued her preparations.

"Amelia, please talk some sense into her!" Zelgadis said desperately, turning to the acrobat.

"I'm going with you," Amelia said, trying to sound determined, but shaking like a leaf all the same.

"No, you're not!" Lina snarled.  "You and Zelgadis take care of Gourry.  I'll be back in a minute."

"Yeah, a minute's about all you have," Zelgadis said as he eyed the unstable portal.  "Even if you find Phibrizzo, do you honestly think that you'll make it back?  The portal's not going to stay open forever."

"Well I guess I shouldn't be wasting any more time talking then," Lina said.  She looked at Gourry one last time before turning to Amelia.  "Take care of him," she repeated.  Then she was gone, swallowed by the darkness.

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Next Chapter:  Escape

Notes:  Sorry about that.  This chapter was a devil to write and I've been really busy lately anyway, so that all adds up to the chapter being a week late.  On the positive side of things, I'm finally pleased with the way things came out (it went through 3 rewrites).  Hope you all enjoyed it.

100 reviews…  *sniff*  Thanks a bunch everyone!  I never thought in a million years that I'd be getting a 100+ reviews.  You know, there's this notion that an author writes to satisfy his or her own desire to create.  I don't think that's quite true.  If I didn't have people like you, people who actually enjoy reading my work, I don't think that the story would have made it past the first couple of chapters.  Well, I guess I'll stop boring you with the speech, but thanks again everyone!

Reader Response:

Pogo, didn't Sylphiel have a lovely time in this chapter?  No, wait.  I guess she didn't.

Thank you kindly, Miss Gabriev.  Yep, you were reviewer #100.  *throws confetti*  I guess you win a prize or something.  Um, how about some confetti?

Otaku girl, I hope you aren't really going to attack me with spiders.  How will I do 17 if I'm being mauled by horrible arachnids?  Sick and demented, you say?  Thanks for the compliment!

Dragonet, one of my quotes is going to grace your wall?  I'm flattered.  Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

CT, Xellos didn't really help Lina and the others.  He just helped them help themselves.  Luna gave the necklace to Lina.  As for its powers, it's more about the person than the medallion.

???, let me ask you something.  Are you a query or a question?  Just for the record, I happen to be a guy.  If I were a betting person, I'd guess that you are too.  Am I right?

Thanks a bunch for your incredibly quick turnaround Boo!  I really appreciate it.


	17. Flight from the darkness

Hellmaster's chamber of death was crumbling before Amelia and Zelgadis's eyes.  Corpses were stacked waist deep around the chamber, and without the demon's spell to maintain it, the twisted building was finally giving way under its own weight.  

"I hope she makes it back," Amelia fretted while looking at the shrinking portal to Hell.

"Well, we don't really have time to wait around and find out," Zelgadis coolly pointed out as he ran over to the unconscious Gourry.

"Because, you know it'd be terrible if she had to stay in there," Amelia said with a nervous chuckle.  "Just terrible."

"Amelia?" Zelgadis said quizzically.  He turned and saw the pale and trembling girl staring into the portal.  "Oh no.  Don't do this to me now," he whispered to himself.  He yelled her name.

Amelia recoiled as if Zelgadis had hit her.  "What?" she asked hesitantly.

"Try to concentrate," Zelgadis pleaded.  "I can't carry you, Gourry, and Sylphiel.  You have to help me, okay?  Can you do that?"

Amelia nodded hesitantly and turned to help Sylphiel to her feet.  "Hey," she exclaimed, noticing that something was missing.  

"This is no time to play around!" Zelgadis yelled.  He effortlessly lifted Gourry and slung the swordsman over his shoulder.  "We have to go right now!"

The ceiling groaned threateningly as more and more supports cracked.  Another few moments and four stories of wood and stone would come crashing down on top of their heads.

Amelia quickly glanced around the dark chamber.  She shook her head and yelled, "But, Mr. Zelgadis, that girl's gone!"

The spot where Sylphiel had been sitting a moment earlier was vacant.

"Damn it all!" Zelgadis snarled.  "She's on her own then.  Come on."

Amelia hesitantly nodded, feeling guilty at leaving Sylphiel behind.  There was no other choice though, right?  She sprinted after Zelgadis who was already nearing the stairs with Gourry in tow.

There was a sudden tremor, dislodging more of the bodies from the wall.

Amelia screeched in terror as several of them fell onto her, knocking her off of her feet.  

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Vrumugun struggled to focus on the doorway.  If he could make it out into the hallway there might be a chance that someone would find him.  The gashes in his back were mostly superficial, but the wound in his neck was deep, staining his brown cloak a shiny black.  If he didn't hurry, he'd almost certainly bleed to death.  Spurred on by that knowledge, he dragged himself arduously towards the door.

Just behind Vrumugun, the headless corpse thrashed about on the floor.  Losing its head to the Slayer's blade had disoriented the beast, but had done little else.  Its talons found Vrumugun's ankle and instinctively latched on.

Vrumugun grimaced as he felt the claws sink into his flesh.  He kicked the creature away and hastily crawled out of its reach.  He said a silent prayer of thanks that the door was open.  He didn't think that he would have had the strength to reach up to open it.  He flung himself out into the hall and glanced over his shoulder.  

Luckily, the dead thing seemed to have lost a lot of its will to fight.  It twitched spastically every few moments, but did nothing more.

Vrumugun sighed in relief and looked at the stairs leading up into the church.  There were one hundred and thirteen steps from the basement to the cathedral.  He'd traveled up and down them countless times over the course of his life.  From the floor they looked even more daunting than usual.  Maybe it would be best to give up.

The rational part of Vrumugun's mind protested.  Surely, there would be people up in the church.  Maybe even a healer.  Somehow he had to make it.

That was for later though a less rational, but far more reasonable part of his mind suggested.  He needed to rest up and regain his strength for the final push.  Yes, that made sense, didn't it?  No sense in trying when he was this tired.   Kind of a silly idea, when he thought about it…

Vrumugun's eyelids fluttered briefly before sliding slowly shut.  A moment later he stopped breathing.  Just before everything faded away, he heard the sound of footsteps echoing on the staircase. 

"Oh, I believe that you'll do nicely…" a strangely familiar voice said with a chuckle.

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Zelgadis glanced over his shoulder when he heard Amelia yell and saw her frantically struggling to disentangle herself from the bodies.  "Move it Amelia!" he snapped impatiently.  Even carrying an armored Gourry, he easily leapt over the bodies that were blocking the stairs leading to freedom.  He turned again, expecting to see Amelia right behind him on the stairs.  Instead he watched, a dumbfounded expression on his face, as she proceeded to sit on the floor and clutch her knees to her chest.  "What in the hell are you doing?!" he demanded.

"I'm sorry.  I… I can't do it, Mr. Zelgadis," Amelia responded apologetically.  "They're all staring at me.  They want to get me," she whimpered while glancing around.  Everywhere she turned, dead glassy eyes appeared to be looking at her.  "Go on without me," she called out.  "I… I think that I'll wait for Miss Lina.  Is that okay?"  She couldn't stand the idea of touching all of those dead people again.  She closed her eyes and lay down on the floor.  "Don't worry about me, Mr. Zelgadis," she called out.  "I'll be fine."  Part of the ceiling landed next to her with a loud crash.  She acted as if she hadn't even heard it.

Zelgadis watched Amelia's actions with an alarmed expression on his face.  "Oh, for the love of…" he growled.  He roughly tossed Gourry down on the stairs and leapt back down into the chamber.  It had been a mistake to let Amelia come along with them in the first place.  She shouldn't have had too see what Hellmaster had done.

Even he found the situation unsettling, Zelgadis mused.  Under the circumstances, it was a wonder that Amelia could function at all.  She was a lot stronger than he expected.  There was something admirable about that.  He knelt beside the girl and put a comforting hand on her arm.  "Amelia?"

Amelia cautiously opened her beautiful cerulean eyes and looked at Zelgadis.  "I'm just going to wait here for a while," she said meekly.  

"You can't do that," Zelgadis replied gently.  "Come on.  I'm getting you out of here."  He opened his arms invitingly.  A moment later, Amelia's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck.  He could feel her warm breath on his throat and her rapid heartbeat as she pressed herself against him.  She was lighter than he had expected and he lifted her easily.  He took a moment to breathe deeply, savoring her scent.

There was faint odor of jasmine, probably something Amelia had put on the previous day.  That smell was all but overpowered by the scent of sweat and death.  Being handled by Hellmaster's tapestry had left an unmistakable mark on her.  Finally, there was the delicious aroma of fresh blood.  She had numerous scratches on her face and arms as a result of the tapestry's cruel ministrations.

Unthinkingly, Zelgadis opened his mouth to expose his fangs.  He looked down at her slender throat and sighed shakily.  He shouldn't be doing this.  For as long as he had lived, he'd never fed on another human, so why did he want to now?  He had to admit, it would be easy.  So very easy.  Amelia would never know what had happened.

"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia whispered dreamily.

Zelgadis flinched at the sound of her voice.  "What?" he asked guiltily.

"I'm really glad you feel better."

"Hmm?" Zelgadis muttered quizzically.

"Your skin," Amelia whispered.  "You're not sunburned anymore."

Zelgadis looked down at himself and was surprised to see that she was right.  Where there had once been blistered flesh, unblemished pale skin shone up at him.  It didn't make any sense though.  He hadn't fed since he was injured, so how could he have recuperated so quickly?

Amelia interrupted Zelgadis's thoughts with a question.  "Mr. Zelgadis, are we out yet?  I don't want to look at those poor people anymore."

Zelgadis shook his head.  "Not yet, but we will be soon.  Keep your eyes closed and leave it to me."  He leapt out of the way of another falling timber.

A moment later, a large section of the ceiling gave way and fell a few feet before getting wedged precariously against a collapsed support.

That was all the persuasion Zelgadis needed.  "Hold on to me," he whispered.  A moment later, he was a blur of motion.  As he ran, he berated himself silently for what he had almost done to the sweet girl in his arms.

Amelia smiled as she felt a strong wind on her face.  There was the sensation of movement and aside from a barely audible grunt when he lifted Gourry Zelgadis was totally silent. She didn't even hear the sound of his footsteps.  Could Zelgadis fly?  She briefly considered opening her eyes to see, but remembered his command.  "Keep your eyes shut," she quietly admonished herself.  And so she flew on in darkness.

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Martina ran through the ruined streets of Sairaag, marveling at the destruction that seemed to permeate every part of the city.

Bodies were strewn about the streets like confetti, and fire swept unchecked through the closely packed buildings.  Apparently, nobody was around to extinguish the flames.  Even if they had been, it was doubtful that they would have come out of hiding after the events of the day.  Until a few moments ago, half of the bodies on the street had been on their feet and in pursuit of Martina.  All of a sudden they had all dropped over dead.

Martina looked up at the blood red moon and scowled.  "Oh, why didn't I see this coming?" she whined.  This kind of thing was bad for business.  She'd told the last person she'd read that evening that they were going to have a prosperous and happy life.  Ten seconds later, they were being eaten by a dead thing that had been mumbling something about brains.  Then the chase had begun.  "It's just not fair," she pouted.  "Why does this sort of thing always happen to me?"

The sound of boisterous laughter emanated from a nearby building, causing Martina to stop short.  "What kind of lunatic would be laughing at a time like this?" she asked.  A large sign mounted over the door caught her attention.  "Hmm, the Sairaag City Guard Station," she read.  Her eyes lit up as she realized what that meant.  "Maybe my beloved is in there!"  She darted up the steps and eagerly flung the front door open.  The first thing she saw was a huge man with long fiery hair barking orders at a group of guards.

"Put your backs into it!  I want this station back in regulation shape within the next fifteen minutes!"  Gaav scowled at the guards who were hastily carrying the newly fallen bodies out the back of the building.  "Regulation 10.26.77 strictly prohibits the presence of tripping hazards in the station walkways," he reminded the men sternly.

"Sir, if I may, I'd like to make a small suggestion," a smug looking guard said.

Gaav glared at the much smaller man as if the guard were an unwanted pest.  Seeing that he couldn't intimidate the man into leaving he finally sighed and growled, "What is it Proctor?"

"Well sir, if you take a moment to think about it, are cadavers really covered under Regulation 10.26.77?  Because I was under the impression that-"

There was a sudden yelp and a crash from the back of the station, cutting the obnoxious little man off.  He and Gaav turned to see another guard sitting on the floor clutching his ankle.

"Sorry sir," the man said, gritting his teeth in pain.  "Tripped over one of the cadavers."  After a moment of consideration, he added, almost apologetically, "I think I broke my ankle."

Gaav flung his arms up in frustration and bellowed, "So, what, do you want a medal or something?!"  He turned his fury to the man standing in front of him.  "Now what in the blue hell do you call that Proctor?!" he yelled, jabbing a finger in the direction of the unfortunate guard who was trying to stand on one leg.  Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "I call that an honest to goodness tripping hazard!  So get your useless ass in gear and clear them out!"  He watched his subordinate scurry away and muttered, "God, what a jackass."

At that point, Martina decided that the best course of action would be for her to back slowly out of the station and make a mad dash for the circus.  Her Zangulus couldn't be here could he?  Just as she was about to turn around Gaav looked up.

Gaav's demeanor shifted from fury to friendly in the span of a second.  He strode purposefully across the room towards Martina.  "Captain Gaav of the Sairaag City Guard at your service, ma'am."  He reached out and grabbed the fortuneteller's hand and pumped it vigorously, almost knocking her off her feet.  "How can I assist you on this lovely evening?"

"Um, lovely evening?" Martina squeaked uncertainly.  She looked around at the carnage in the station and then back at the huge grinning man standing before her.  He was serious, she realized.  "Um, I, um, I'm, well, I was looking…"  She paused for a moment, struggling to remember why she had come in here.  She saw a beat up brown hat laying on the ground a few feet away and it suddenly hit her.  "I'm looking for Zangulus!" she said, a little louder than she had intended.

Gaav's grin faded and was replaced by a solemn frown.  "Zangladus…" he sighed while shaking his head sadly.

Martina's eyes widened and she stammered, "No!  You can't mean…"  She let her question trail off, as if voicing her fears might actually make them real.

Gaav nodded and said, "He fell during the battle."

"No," Martina whispered.

"You have my condolences," Gaav said quietly.  

"Fell during the battle?!" a muffled voice yelled from a nearby pile of bodies.  A moment later, Zangulus's head popped out of the heap.  He glared at Gaav and yelled, "I didn't fall!  You threw me you crazy bastard!"

"Fell!  Threw!  It's all the same!  You screamed like a little girl Zangladus!  Grow a spine man!" Gaav roared.

For once, Zangulus refused to be cowed.  "And for the love of Ceiphied, my name is Zangulus, you blithering idiot!  And what's the idea of telling her that I was dead?!  You didn't even bother to check!"  He dragged himself out of the pile and cautiously stood on the perilous footing.  

The rest of the guards stopped what they were doing to stare at the interplay between Zangulus and Gaav.  It wasn't every day that one had the opportunity to see a man commit suicide.

"I never said you were dead," Gaav quietly hissed through clenched teeth, "I said that you fell.  I was telling her that I was sorry that you're such a clumsy idiot!"

"Zangie!" Martina yelled ecstatically.  She flung herself into Zangulus's arms, sending them both tumbling down the pile.  Before the swordsman could protest, she silenced him with a passionate kiss.

Gaav cocked a bushy eyebrow and muttered, "What an odd girl," as he watched Martina amorously maul the hapless Zangulus.

************************************************************************

Zelgadis slung Gourry off his shoulder and deposited him roughly on the cobblestone street.  "You can open your eyes now.  We're safe," he said to Amelia, who was still clutching him tightly.

Amelia cautiously opened her eyes and grinned when she saw that they were safely outside on the street.  "Thanks Mr. Zelgadis.  I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't helped me," she said, still holding onto him.

"Yeah, whatever," Zelgadis said irately.  "You can let go any time now, you know."

"Oh, right," Amelia said as she released her grip on Zelgadis.  "Sorry about that."

Zelgadis waved dismissively as he looked back at the building across the street.  He massaged his temples, sensing an oncoming headache.  "I swear," he muttered, "Everyone in the world has gone mad except for me."

Amelia looked up from where she was checking on Gourry and frowned at the irritated Zelgadis.  "What do you mean, Mr. Zelgadis?"

"Those… those people!" Zelgadis said while trying to keep his exasperation to a minimum.  "That girl wouldn't let me kill Hellmaster.  On top of that she ran off despite being wounded.  And don't even get me started on Lina!  That woman is the most stubborn, impulsive, irritating…"

"I guess," Amelia agreed while scratching her head.  "She can be kind of grating sometimes."  She smiled as she continued, "But I think there's a lot more to her than that Mr. Zelgadis."

"Do tell," Zelgadis muttered darkly.  He crossed his arms and glared down at the street.  

"Well," Amelia said after a moment of consideration, "I think that she can be really nice if you give her a chance.  Don't you get that impression?"

Lina's words from a few nights ago came back to Zelgadis.

"Being nonhuman isn't a crime in my book.  You have just as much right to live as anything else."

"I suppose," Zelgadis said, more to himself than anyone else.  Lina had known about his… condition and it hadn't changed a thing between them.  She'd treated him like a normal person.  He quickly quashed the guilt that was building up within him.  It was unpleasant, but he couldn't afford to get attached to Lina, or anyone else for that matter.  There was too much at stake.  "It doesn't change the fact that she's obnoxious and pushy," he muttered.

Amelia nodded, "Yeah, but she's not mean.  You've noticed how she acts around Mr. Gourry, haven't you?"

"What?  You mean sullen and depressed?" Zelgadis replied with a dry chuckle.  "Hardly what I'd call pleasant Amelia."

Amelia rolled her eyes.  Why was Zelgadis being so obstinate?   She explained, "I guess she does that sometimes, but there's something else too.  I can't believe you haven't seen it.  She laughs more often when Mr. Gourry is around.  She's a little nicer too."  She blushed slightly and giggled, "It's so cute to watch them together."

"Whatever," Zelgadis muttered.  He pointedly looked away from Amelia's smiling face, trying to hide the fact that he was blushing a bit as well.

Amelia continued on unperturbed, "On top of that, she's risking her life to save a little boy that she doesn't even know.  How many people do you know that are that selfless?"

Zelgadis's brow furrowed in thought, the memory of a giggling Lina counting the money he had given her fresh in his mind.  "Yeah," he muttered sarcastically.  "Selfless.  Selfish is more like it."

"Oh, you just don't understand her," Amelia said with a sigh.  "I think she's cool, though."  

"Cool?!" Zelgadis sputtered in disbelief.

"Well, yeah," Amelia replied with a shrug.  "She's so heroic and loving.  I wish that I were half as tough as her and well… I just think that she's really cool."  She looked at the unstable building apprehensively.  "I hope she makes it back."

Zelgadis snorted derisively, but found himself hoping that Lina made it back too.  She still had a role to play in his scheme.  Besides, he begrudgingly admitted, he'd probably miss the loudmouth if she didn't return.  She did have a way of making life interesting.

"Does this mean that it's over?" Amelia asked while looking around at the bodies littering the street.  "I mean, I guess we won, right?"

"I suppose," Zelgadis said with a nod.  "But, I wouldn't tell Lina that if I were you.  For her, I think that it's just getting started."

"Yeah.  So, what do you think she's doing right now?" Amelia asked apprehensively.

"I can't even begin to imagine, but I'd wager that it isn't pleasant," Zelgadis replied.

Zelgadis and Amelia, both lost in their respective thoughts, lapsed into a comfortable silence while watching and waiting for any sign of the redheaded Slayer.

************************************************************************

A midnight black carriage drawn by dark stallions flew through the darkness towards the burning city of Sairaag.  Although there was no driver present, the horses seemed to know exactly where they were going.  They came to a halt just before slamming into the city gates.

A skittish guard cautiously stepped out of a nearby building and approached the carriage.  "Hello?" he called out to no avail.  Noting the lack of a driver, he moved around to the door of the carriage itself.  "Hello?  Is anyone in there?" he asked, trying to see into the gloom of the interior.  There was a rustle of cloth and he was suddenly face to face with a hooded figure.  He yelped in surprise and fell to the ground.

"Good evening," a female voice said.

"By Ceiphied, you scared the hell out of me!"  The guard quickly scrabbled to his feet, his face beet red.  

"We desire entrance into the city," the voice purred.

"I don't think you want to do that."  He grimaced at the sound of an agonizing scream from behind the city walls.  "Bad things have been happening in Sairaag of late."  He tried in vain to make out the figures in the gloom of the carriage.  There were two of them, unless he was mistaken.

The door to the carriage swung open quietly and a sinister figure, cloaked in black, stepped out into the cool night air.  She threw back her hood to reveal a stunningly beautiful face and short dark hair.  She wore a modest circlet of silver atop her head.  "So it would seem," she said while staring at the carnage through the gate.  "Still, I must insist that we be allowed to enter."

The guard tried to resist staring at her as he mumbled, "As you say Miss.  I'll be needing to see your papers, then."

"Very well."  The woman in black smiled coldly and produced a roll of parchment from a pocket in her cloak.  "I'm confident that you'll find everything in order."

"Of course.  Just a formality, you understand."  The guard took the parchment with sweaty hands and unrolled it.  Clearing his throat, he muttered, "Eris.  I assume that's you?" A nod from the woman confirmed his assumption.  "And your traveling companion?" he said, taking a step towards the carriage and peering in the window.  "There's only one name mentioned on the document."

There was a rustle of cloth and a figure clad in a white cloak retreated into the dark recesses of the compartment with an angry hiss.

The guard took a nervous step back and looked to Eris for an explanation.  The other passenger didn't look quite as friendly as Eris.

"I do hope that you'll forgive my companion," Eris said with a disarming smile.  "It's been a long journey and we're both a little out of sorts."

The guard nodded and said, "I can understand that, but that doesn't change the fact that he… or is it a she?"  He looked to Eris for clarification, but received none.  "Anyway, your friend can't enter without authorization."  

Eris's smile tightened slightly and she nodded at the page.  "You didn't finish."

The guard looked at the page and continued to read, "Servants of Ceiphied… official church business… with the authority of…"  He looked up, an expression of horrified shock on his face.  "The High Priest."

"Correct," Eris said with a nod.  "I am here on the authority of the great Rezo himself.  So I strongly suggest that you open the gate and stop pestering my traveling companion."

"Oh god, I'm sorry Miss Eris!  I didn't know…"

"Never mind that.  Just open the gate."

"Yes ma'am!"  The guard nodded and ran off to do just as she had instructed.

Moments later, Eris and her companion were back in the carriage and riding through the streets of Sairaag.

"It hasn't changed much, has it?" Eris remarked as she looked out the window at the carnage in the streets.  "It's still a cesspool full of human garbage.  Always has been."

Her companion scowled and turned to look out the window opposite Eris's.

"Oh, did I upset you?" Eris said with a smirk.  "My sincerest apologies."   They rode on in silence for a moment before she asked, "What's bothering you anyway?  You've been this way since Atlas City.  It's not like you to be so surly."  She didn't expect a response and when companion replied, it was so quiet that she almost didn't hear it.  "What did you say?" she asked, leaning forward to more clearly hear the quiet voice.

The figure in white sighed impatiently and repeated more clearly, "Her."

"Her?  Her who?" Eris said curiously.  It was unusual for her companion to be so chatty.

"Lina.  Lina Inverse," was the figure's hissed response.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Lina's Inferno

Notes:  Well, another week another chapter, huh?  No Lina action in this one, but I did manage to lay the groundwork for a couple of plots in the future, so I'm quite pleased with it.

Hmm?  "What about Lina?" you ask?  Well, you'll be happy to know that Lina gets the entire next chapter to herself.  She's such a ham.

Reviewer Response:

Thanks for the kind words, Miss Gabriev.  A Lina/Zel pairing, hmm?  How can I get that into the story?  *scribbles some notes*  By the way, how did that thing that we discussed turn out?

Pogo, you hate me?  *sniff*  But all I do is try to entertain all of you, and you're all so mean to me!  Waaah!  Hope you liked the Gaav/Zangulus bit in this chapter.

Otaku girl, would you believe another 40-50 chapters?  At a chapter a week, I'd say you're going to be reading for a long time.  As for the loved one thing, keep it in mind.  It could happen at any time…

Stara, no matter how hard it tries, real life can't keep me down!  The only thing that'll slow the pace of this story aside from some cataclysmal computer trouble is the dreaded Writer's Block.  And I haven't had trouble with that recently, so it's all good.  *sigh*  Watch me get stumped now that I've said that.

Dragonet, Gourry can't save Lina this time, but she's not really alone either.  The LoN?  Hmm, maybe she'll be hinted at in a future chapter, but don't count on a cameo or anything.

Chapter 18 is done and I'm sad to say that there are no spiders in the portal Zaber.  Although your obsession with them is a little unnerving…  Brrr!

Masaki, Sylphiel's part in the story isn't done, so that should make you happy.  As for appearances in future parts?  I can't say just yet.  It all depends on how things turn out in the next 2-3 chapters…

???, darn it.  I hate losing bets.  How much do I owe you?  Wait a second, how do I know that you're telling the truth?  No money for you!

Thanks for reading everyone!


	18. The search for innocence

Lina felt strangely buoyant in the darkness.  She tried to look around and briefly considered the possibility that she'd been stricken blind.  As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but blackness.  "Strange," she whispered.  Her voice reverberated over and over until it was a shriek.  She clapped her hands over her ears in an attempt to block out the din.  "What is going on?!" she yelled.  Her outburst only added to the cacophony.

Suddenly, there was silence.  A moment later, a voice.

"Careful there, young lady.  You're in the void between worlds.  There's nothing in the void, you know.  And when you add anything to nothing, be it a whisper or even a pin drop, you very quickly end up with something."

"Xellos!" Lina yelled, recognizing the priest's voice and annoying double speak.  She immediately regretted yelling when Xellos's name came back to her doubled and then redoubled in volume.

Lina got the distinct sense that Xellos would be shaking his head if she could see him.

"You're a slow learner, Lina," he playfully admonished.  "You don't need to speak for me to hear you."

Lina closed her eyes and thought, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just checking up on you.  You've done a very bad thing, young lady."  There was a hint of sadness in the voice when it spoke again.  "I don't expect that I'll see you again.  You're risking too much for too little gain.  Let me bring you back.  It's not too late you know."

"So, I should just let Hellmaster have that child?!" Lina yelled angrily.  She rolled her eyes as soon as she realized what she had done and clapped her hands over her ears again.

When the noise had died down, Xellos said, "Well, yes.  I suppose that's what I'm saying.  It's a sad fact of life Lina.  You can't save everyone."

"Well, I'm going to save this one!" she thought angrily.

"I thought that you wouldn't agree," he said with a sigh.  "It breaks my heart to think of how badly you're going to be hurt before this is over.  Still, you won't be alone, and I have faith in you.  If anyone can do this, it is you Lina Inverse.  May Ceiphied's light guide you child."

Sensing that the priest was leaving, Lina called out, "Xellos, wait!  What do you mean I won't be alone?"

************************************************************************

"Xellos…" Lina whispered sleepily.  She slowly opened her eyes and realized that her head was on the table.  She had been sleeping again.  "What a weird dream," she mumbled quietly.  Suddenly realizing where she was, she groaned and smacked her head on the table.  Sis wouldn't be happy if she found out that the chores weren't done.  Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she glanced around the modest apartment she had shared with Luna ever since their parents had died.

Actually calling the single room an apartment was an insult to apartments.  A single lantern hanging over a small table was the only illumination for the room. Against one wall two tattered bedrolls were laid out on the floor.  Against another wall a worn bookshelf struggled to hold up the few books that the Inverses owned.  Luna had always insisted that Lina have an education.  On the opposite wall was a small, dirty window that revealed the shadowy streets of Sairaag.  A small fireplace shared the fourth wall with the battered door leading to the hallway.

Lina climbed unsteadily to her feet, grabbed the ragged broom out of the corner, and began to sweep.  A sudden pain caused her to look down in surprise.  There was a large wound in her shoulder.  She continued her self-examination, noting that she was wearing a travel worn outfit, and she was most certainly not thirteen years old.  

"What's going on?" Lina asked nobody in particular.  "Am I still dreaming?  Only one way to find out I guess."  She reached up and pinched her cheek.  "Ow.  Okay, I'm awake then.  How did I get here?"  She thought back to the events of the previous night.  "Phibrizzo," she said triumphantly after a moment.  "I came to save Phibrizzo."  She glanced around the room with a puzzled expression on her face.  "That's funny.  Where is Phibrizzo?  And Hellmaster.  I was right behind them.  Or I think I was anyway."  She heaved a sigh of exasperation.  "And is this supposed to be Hell?  I expected worse."

A look of suspicion suddenly crossed Lina's face.  "Wait a second," she whispered.  She looked at the table to see a pile of parchment haphazardly strewn across the surface.  Upon closer inspection, she saw that there were arithmetic problems written out on the pages in her sloppy handwriting.  She'd been working on math problems that Sis had given her that day.  Beginning to panic, she darted over to the window and looked out into the night sky.  

A full moon shone down on the shadowy streets of Sairaag.

It was just as Lina had feared.  She turned towards the door when she heard the footsteps running down the hallway.  "No.  Please," she pleaded.  "Not this!  Anything but this."  The sound of footsteps continued.  Another second and Luna would run through the door and die a horrible death.

"No!" Lina yelled while running over to the door.  She hissed in pain as she threw her shoulder against the wood.  If she could keep Luna out, maybe … maybe things could turn out differently.

The footsteps stopped just outside and a moment later there was an insistent pounding on the door.  "Open the door!" a woman's muffled voice demanded.

"I can't, Sis!" Lina said while shaking her head insistently.  "You can't come in!  You'll die!"

"For the love of Ceiphied, please open the door!" the voice pleaded.  The desperate pounding intensified, and the door actually opened a couple inches before Lina was able to slam it shut again.

Lina looked around for something to brace the door with.  She couldn't hold it much longer.  Luna had been stronger than Lina when they had been younger.  That fact apparently hadn't changed in recent years.  Coupled with the fact that Lina was wounded and unable to exert her full strength, it was fairly obvious that Luna would be in the room shortly.

As if sensing Lina's distraction, the figure outside the door gave a mighty shove, dislodging Lina and hurling her violently to the floor.

Lina's jaw bounced off the hard wood and she momentarily saw stars.  By the time she recovered sufficiently to realize what had happened, it was too late.

The door was open.

Lina turned hesitantly to face the shape standing in the doorway.  For some reason, it was incredibly bright in the hallway, making it impossible to discern the features of the woman.  That was all that she was sure of.  The shadow's curves definitely implied a cloaked feminine form.  She stammered, "Lu … Luna?"

The form stepped inside the room and slammed the door behind her.

Lina squinted, finally making out the features of the woman.  "Sylphiel?!" she gasped.  "What are you doing here?"

Sylphiel looked down at Lina with an expression of relief on her face before leaning up against the door.  She said, "Please help me, Miss Lina."  

"Huh?  Help you what, Sylphiel?"

At that instant, something incredibly heavy slammed against the door, staggering the dark haired girl.  Something outside the room gurgled angrily at having its progress impeded. 

"Okay.  I think I understand now," Lina muttered as she leapt to her feet.  She reached the door just as the thing slammed into it again.  

There was a strange slurping sound and a dozen fleshy tendrils about the size of fingers slipped through the crack under the door.  They were the color of cooked lobster and left a trail of clear slime wherever they moved.  Somehow sensing that Lina and Sylphiel were there, they reached for the girls' legs.

Lina looked down at the things, wide eyed, trying to wrap her mind around what she was seeing.  Failing that, she turned to Sylphiel and demanded, "What… what the hell is that thing?!"  She yipped in surprise and disgust as one of the tendrils brushed against her leg.

"I don't know," Sylphiel said while trying to keep as far back as possible while bracing the door.  "Um, calamari maybe?" she suggested after a moment of contemplation.

There was another strangled roar as the thing struck the door again.  This time, the crossbeam cracked slightly.

Lina blinked in disbelief and said, "Are you trying to tell me that thing is a giant entrée?!"

As if in response, there was the sound of liquid splashing against the exterior of the door.  A second later, black inky fluid seeped through the cracks between the boards.  An overpowering odor of ammonia permeated the air.

Lina gagged at the smell and said, "Okay.  It's a squid.  What's it so mad about?  Did you try to eat it or something?"  She shrieked in surprise as one of the tentacles brushed against her thigh.

Sylphiel, now doused with ink, shook her head and said, "Oh no, Miss Lina.  I can't stand seafood.  I was trying to find you and Phibrizzo when I was attacked by that awful thing."

"Attacked by seafood?" Lina muttered dubiously while shaking her head.  "Hey!  Is this some kind of game, Hellmaster?!" she demanded of the empty room.

Hellmaster either didn't hear her or didn't care to answer.

"We can't wait any longer," Lina said a moment later.  The wood was starting to splinter under the assault of the beast.  "On the count of three, head for the window, Sylphiel.  I'll be right behind you."

Exactly three seconds later, Sylphiel and Lina were making a mad dash towards the window as the door exploded inward behind them.

Sylphiel shoved the window open and stuck her head out.  She hesitated and said, "Miss Lina, wait a second.  Something doesn't seem right."

"I don't give a damn!  I'm not going to be squid food!" Lina yelled.  "Now, move it!"

Sylphiel said, "But, Miss-" before squeaking in surprise when she felt Lina's hands on her posterior.  A moment later, she was shoved roughly out the window.

"No buts!" Lina yelled as she jumped up into the window.  Unable to resist the urge, she glanced over her shoulder at the beastie making a mess of the room.  "Wow, that is pretty ugly," she remarked.

The scarlet monster filled the room and its myriad tentacles grabbed anything that wasn't tied down and fed it into its corneous beak.  As Lina watched, the beast snatched up the broom, several chairs, a handful of books, the Sword of Light, and, rather ambitiously Lina thought, the table.

Lina watched it try to fit the table into its mouth when she realized what she was looking at.  "Hey!" she yelled, flailing her arms to get the beast's attention.  "Don't eat the Sword of Light, you overgrown appetizer!  I need that!"  Heedless of the danger, she dove back into the room and grabbed the hilt.

The beast rolled one dinner plate sized eye over in Lina's direction.  It's thought process was frightening in its simplicity.  The intruder moved, it made noise, it was fleshy; hence it was obviously a source of protein.  The squid tossed aside the table and, after a moment of consideration, the broom in favor of this new morsel.

"Oh, no you don't!" Lina snarled as she felt the tentacles encircle her body.  She snatched the Sword of Light free of the beast's grip and pointed the hilt at the beak as she was dragged towards the creature.  She yelled, "Light come forth!" just before the jaws were going to slam shut on her torso.

The blade sprang into existence for a second, not long enough to be useful in combat, but good enough for skewering the sensitive interior of the squid's mouth.

The squid gurgled furiously and flung Lina away.  By stupid luck, she happened to go soaring out the window instead of being smashed against a wall.

"Well that's weird," Lina muttered as she soared through the air.  She was out of the apartment, but she definitely wasn't in Sairaag.  She landed on Sylphiel a moment later, sending them both sprawling.  "Ow," Lina whimpered while rubbing her head.  "You okay, Sylphiel?"  Not receiving a response, she looked down to see Sylphiel staring at something ahead of them.  "Hmm?" she muttered as she looked up.

Standing in the middle of the dirt road that Lina and Sylphiel had suddenly found themselves on, was a boy who looked to be about ten years old.  He had a mop of unkempt dark hair and amber colored eyes.  It was Phibrizzo.

************************************************************************

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Hellmaster bellowed as he mercilessly clawed at the poor sap that he was using to watch Lina.

Hellmaster's scrying tool was a marvel of cruelty.  An unfortunate soul was racked along the wall with his bare back exposed.  Vicious enchanted knives carved images in his exposed flesh.  An instant later, the wounds would heal.  This cycle repeated so quickly that the blades were almost invisible while the picture actually appeared to move.  Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

"Something vexes you, brother dear?" a sultry voice purred from the darkness.

Hellmaster snarled and turned to face the intruder.  "Zelas, I am really not in the mood right now," he spat.

A stunningly beautiful woman stepped out of the shadows.  She had gorgeous blond hair that cascaded down her back to her waist.  Her features were almost feline in their beauty and a catlike grin played across her ruby lips.  She was tall and her body was finely muscled without an ounce of fat to be seen.  An obscenely short gown of gossamer fell just below her shapely hips and clung to her body, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.

"Father's not happy with you.  Not happy at all," Zelas said contentedly as she took long drag of a faintly perfumed cigarette.  She leaned down and blew smoke in Hellmaster's face, causing him to cough roughly.  "Have I mentioned that I like the body?" she said.  "It's cute."  She extended her tongue and ran it slowly along the ridge of his ear.  "Very cute, in fact.  And it suits you so well."

Hellmaster scowled at Zelas, daring her to finish her thought.

"It's very childish.  Just like you, brother dear."  She pretended to pout as she saw him tremble with barely restrained fury.  "Oh, are you going to have a temper tantrum now?" she purred.  "Go ahead.  Prove me right about you."

Hellmaster closed his eyes and very slowly set about roping his emotions in.  This wasn't the time for this.  He had business to attend to.  Zelas was only teasing him because he was out of favor with Father again.  He would be forgiven though.  It might take a couple centuries, but time healed all things.

"Ooh, what have we here?" Zelas whispered lustily.

Hellmaster opened his eyes to see Zelas eyeing the image of Lina and Sylphiel appreciatively.  "Damn it," he hissed inaudibly.  "Never mind," he commanded.  "It's none of your business."

"Aw," Zelas pouted, "You don't want to share your playthings with me?  I promise that I won't break them.  The redhead's cute in a scrawny alley cat kind of way.  The other one's a real beauty.  Can't I play with them for a month or so?  Where'd you find them anyway?"  She glanced at the image and then back at Hellmaster who was maintaining a stony silence.  "Oh, I know what this is about," she said with a cruel chuckle.

Hellmaster crossed his arms and sneered.  "Oh really?"

"They're the ones that sent you back aren't they?  That's it, isn't it?"  Zelas knelt beside Hellmaster and put an arm around his shoulders.  "Why then, aren't they dead yet?  Hmm…" she mused while tapping a crimson fingernail against her cheek.  "You're afraid of them, aren't you brother dear?" she whispered in his ear.  "They hurt you and now you're afraid.  My, my, my.  What would Father say if he knew about this?"

"Nothing, because they will be dead before he finds out."

"Hmm, so you say, yet you've already failed to kill them before," Zelas said as she pulled Hellmaster into a loving embrace.

"What are you getting at?" Hellmaster demanded as he disentangled himself from his irritating sibling.

"Let me have them.  They're not worth your time, brother dear," Zelas said eagerly.  "Let me show them that there's more to Hell than pain and darkness.  After all," she said with a mock frown on her face, "It's been so long since I've had fresh meat."

Hellmaster opened his mouth to tell Zelas to forget about it.  Lina and Sylphy were his to do with as he saw fit, after all.  But another evil thought intruded.  Lina had the Sword of Light.  What would happen if such a weapon were used on Zelas?  Could a demon really be killed in Hell?  If not, there was nothing to stop him from taking the meddlers apart.  And if so, well, he wouldn't shed too many tears over his obnoxious whore of a sister.  There was no real loyalty between demons after all.

"Very well," Hellmaster sighed with feigned impatience.  "Do with them what you will.  Make me proud sister dear.  Make them scream before the end."

"Lovely."  Zelas smiled and kissed Hellmaster on the cheek.  "You won't regret this," she said while lovingly stroking his dark hair.

"Oh, I'm quite sure that I won't," Hellmaster replied with an evil grin.

************************************************************************

Lina and Sylphiel walked along a country road, surrounded by lush cornfields as far as the eye could see.  Overhead, the sun shone down upon the world from a cloudless sky.  It was a warm day, but not unpleasantly so.

The duo had ceased trying to figure out why such a pleasant place would be located in Shabranigdo's realm a good while ago.  When they had called out to Phibrizzo he had run off down the road.  That had been a while ago.  Now, they had nothing to do except follow the road.  It was the only landmark as far as the eye could see.  Their surroundings seemed to be pleasant enough, aside from the fact that there was nothing except rows upon rows of corn to look at.  It felt as if they had been walking for hours, but the sun never moved, giving them little to tell the time with.

"…and so I told him, 'It's your fault for eating that much!" Lina said with a giggle.  "He shouldn't have had all those nachos after the cotton candy."

"Oh dear!  I do hope that Gourry dear didn't feel too ill," Sylphiel said concernedly.

Lina rolled her eyes and said, "Sylphiel, you know that you're a real killjoy, right?"

Sylphiel looked at Lina uncomprehendingly.  "Did I say something wrong?  Why would you want Gourry to feel bad?"

"It's not exactly like that," Lina grumbled.  "It's just that he brought it on himself and… oh, never mind."  She didn't feel like listening to her companion fawn over Gourry and quickly changed the subject.  "So," she said while scratching her head sheepishly.  "I've been thinking and I just don't get it.  What exactly happened back there?"

"What do you mean, Miss Lina?" Sylphiel asked curiously.

"You know, the thing with Hellmaster."  Lina looked around to see if there were any eavesdroppers before saying, "Honestly, I didn't have any idea of how we were going to get out of that situation.  Then he turned back into Phibrizzo and everything fell apart.  He seemed pretty upset with you after things started to go to pieces.  I was just wondering what you did."

Oh, it was nothing really," Sylphiel said cheerily.  "If you just believe, good things happen.  I guess that you could say that it's all about love and faith."

"Love and faith," Lina said dubiously, obviously disappointed that Sylphiel's explanation didn't involve a wooden stake or some silver.  "Love and faith," she repeated.  A moment later, she shook her head confusedly and said, "You know that you're not making any sense, right?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Lina.  That's really the best way I can explain it.  I saw someone I cared about in trouble and prayed for his safety.  And good things happened, didn't they?"  Sylphiel gave Lina a reassuring smile.  "That's really all there was to it."

"Someone you cared for, huh?" Lina murmured quietly.  She knew in her heart that Sylphiel was talking about Gourry.  She put on a cheerful smile and said, "I wish it were that easy for me!  In my line of work, you can't really afford to hang around in one place long enough to make attachments like that.  If you don't keep moving, you become a target."

"Really?"

"Yep," Lina said with a nod.  "I've been on the road for five years with nothing but the clothes on my back and the voices in my head for company."  She winked at Sylphiel and said, "That last part was a joke, by the way."

Sylphiel didn't laugh.  Instead, she regarded her companion for a moment before asking, "Why?"

The smile on Lina's face was replaced by an expression of bewilderment.  "You know, I don't think anyone's ever asked me that before."  A moment later, she chuckled and said, "I do it for the money and fame of course!"

Sylphiel cocked her head and gave Lina a disapproving look.  "Seriously, Miss Lina."

"Seriously?  Hmm."  Lina looked down at the dusty road for a few moments, lost in thought.

Sylphiel thought that Lina wasn't going to answer and was about to apologize for prying, when the redhead suddenly looked up at her and began to speak.

"I want to say that I do it to protect the innocent, but that's not really the truth."  She unconsciously lowered her voice and said, "Sylphiel, can you keep a secret?"

Sylphiel nodded hesitantly, not really sure that she wanted to hear Lina's explanation.  The Slayer had gotten deadly serious all of a sudden.

"I do it because I'm scared."  Lina blinked in surprise at her own admission.  She hastily stammered, "Remember, you promised that you wouldn't tell anyone."

Sylphiel shook her head emphatically.  "I won't.  But I know that can't be true, Miss Lina."

"Oh?" Lina said curiously.  "Why's that?"

"Because you've done so many brave things!" Sylphiel explained.  "Gourry told me about how fearless you are.  You hunt down the scariest things and never back down from a fight.  And now, you're risking your life to save dear Phibrizzo from the Hellmaster's clutches.  That sounds brave to me."

Lina scoffed at Sylphiel's comments.  If she was so brave, why was she afraid to sleep at night?  Why did she have to drink herself to sleep in the morning to avoid the nightmares?  Why couldn't she keep her nerves under control?  "I'm not brave," she said flatly.

Sylphiel sighed quietly and asked, "Miss Lina, if that's true, why did you come to this place?  I watched you go.  You didn't hesitate, not even for a moment.  If you're so scared, why did you come after Phibrizzo?"

"I… I… I…" Lina stammered.  Memories of Luna and the agony she'd felt at losing her sister came flooding back to her.  She couldn't stand the idea of another young life being ruined by the darkness as hers had been.  "It's none of your damn business, is it?!" she yelled.

Sylphiel covered her mouth with her hand and took a step back from Lina.  "I'm sorry.  You're right of course."

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two women for a moment.

Suddenly, a voice called out from the cornfield, shattering the calm.  "Hello?"  There was an agonized groan and the voice called again.  "Is someone there?  Help me, please."

Lina and Sylphiel glanced at each other nervously for a moment.  This was Hell after all and things had been strangely quiet for the longest time.  They briefly considered slinking away from the voice and actually took the first couple steps before it called out again.

"In the name of all that's holy, help me!"

A flock of ugly black birds scattered from a point in the corn at the sound of the yell.

"Miss Lina …" Sylphiel said.  "It sounds like someone is in trouble."

Lina sighed in resignation before plunging into the densely packed stalks lining the road.  A second later, Sylphiel followed her.

"Hello?" Lina called quietly, half hoping that the voice wouldn't hear her.

"Over here!" the voice responded eagerly.  "Hurry up!"

Lina hastened her pace, having only the most general idea of where the voice was coming from.  The corn stalks had grown well over her head and she could only see a couple inches in front of her face.  It came as a huge surprise when she plunged into a clearing, bereft of plant life of any kind.  A second later, Sylphiel crashed into her causing them both to fall to the ground.

"Ow," Lina muttered while rubbing her head.  She looked up to see that they were in a circular clearing about twenty feet in diameter.  In the center of the circle was a post with a tattered scarecrow bound to it.  She felt something wiggling under her hands and looked down to see countless worms and slugs crawling along the ground towards the scarecrow.  "Oh gross!" she yelled as she hastily scrambled to her feet.  She brushed herself off while glancing around the clearing.

"Is this where that voice came from?" Sylphiel asked as she hopped from foot to foot in an attempt to avoid contact with the disgusting creatures on the ground.

"How am I supposed to know?" Lina asked while performing her own bizarre little dance.

The scarecrow slowly tilted its head to look at Lina and Sylphiel and sighed, "Thank heavens."

Lina and Sylphiel screeched in surprise at the sudden signs of life from the scarecrow.  They took a cautious step towards the thing and took a closer look at it.

What they had assumed was a scarecrow was actually a spindly human.  Or at least it had been at one point.  Its flesh was a sooty black, as if it had been scorched in a fire.  It was fastened to the blackened post by a wooden stake that had been driven through its gaunt ribcage.  Endless maggots and worms crawled about the body, eagerly burrowing into the creature's flesh.  Its face was little more than a charred skull, devoid of a nose and any flesh.  Two hate filled eyes, the only things intact on the body, glowered at the girls.  

"It's you," the scarecrow hissed, it's voice filled with a mixture of anger and agony.

"Me?"  Lina asked while pointing at herself.  She forced a smile and said, "Well, I guess it's not surprising.  Of course the legend of my skill would spread as far as Hell itself.  Right Sylphiel?"  She turned to her companion, desperately wanting the girl to say something to draw her attention away from the thing.

Sylphiel just stared at Lina mutely, her mouth hanging open.

The scarecrow hissed in agony and tried in vain to brush the myriad parasites from its body.  In frustration, it began to snatch handfuls of mangled flesh from itself, doing far more harm than good.  "You don't remember me, do you?" it said, eyeing Lina wickedly all the while.

"Should I?"

"You put me here!" the scarecrow bellowed.

"And you would be?" Lina asked in a quivering voice.

"Lupin van Wolfenstein," the scarecrow uttered with no small amount of pride.

"Lupin …  Lupin …" Lina muttered while rubbing her chin thoughtfully.  "Sorry, doesn't ring any bells, buddy.  Sorry to have disturbed you," she said hastily.  She slowly backed away from the creature and whispered to Sylphiel, "Go back the way we came.  Right now."

"But shouldn't we help him?" Sylphiel whispered.  "He's in pain."

"I'm sure that he's there for a good reason!" Lina hissed.  "Now move it!"

"Surely you must remember me?  You killed me when I was about to feed on a young lady in Sairaag so long ago," Lupin said hopefully.

Lina smacked her fist into her palm and said, "Oh, yeah!  I do remember you.  Wow, what a nostalgia trip.  Well, hope you've been well.  We're kind of busy, hunting down evil and all that good stuff, so we'll be going now."

A loud cawing noise drew the girls' attention to the skies overhead.  The blackbirds circled, as if waiting for the interlopers to leave.

Lupin glared upwards as well.  "They pick at me, looking for the maggots.  Usually they end up getting my eyes too," he said with a chuckle.  "They're tenacious little bastards."   He sighed in resignation and said, "They heal though.  My eyes that is.  Over and over again."  He noticed the girls backing away from him and said, "Stay a while.  I'm quite pleased to see you again after so long."

"Oh?  And why's that?" Lina asked suspiciously.

Lupin had no lips, but he gave the distinct impression that he would be grinning if he had.  "Because you're finally here, where you belong.  You can't know how many centuries I've been waiting to see you suffer alongside me."

"Centuries?" Lina muttered bemusedly.

"Of course," Lupin said.  "I've suffered countless agonies, waiting for the day that you'd finally get here.  It's been the only thing that's kept me sane."

"Sorry to disappoint you, pal," Lina said angrily.  "We're just passing through.  Hope you have a nice time though.  You've earned it."

Lupin's eyes widened in shock.  "You mean … you … you're not dead?!"  He looked Inverse over, noting that she looked exactly the same as he remembered.  That could only mean …

Lina shook her head and turned to leave.  "Let's go Sylphiel.  We won't find Phibrizzo like this."

"Wait!" Lupin shouted desperately.  "Before you go, answer me this.  How long?"

"How long what?" Lina called over her shoulder, already disappearing into the corn.

"How long have I been here?!" Lupin shouted almost hysterically.

Lina stopped and turned to face Lupin.  She counted on her fingers for a moment before shrugging and saying, "Uh, I dunno.  I've been really busy lately and lost track of the time."  She shrugged and turned to leave again.  A long moment later, her voice drifted back to Lupin from the obscurity of the field.  "A week, I guess?  Probably less then that."

"A … a week?" Lupin whispered uncomprehendingly.  He looked down at the parasites feasting upon his flesh, his reward for having lived the life of a parasite for so long.  "A week?  A WEEK?!"  The full weight of eternity came crashing down upon the former vampire and, unable to cope with the concept, his mind fractured.  He began to giggle as the carrion birds descended to feast upon him again.

Lina and Sylphiel cringed as the sound of horrible gibbering laughter erupted from the clearing behind them.  They broke into a run in their attempt to escape the terrible noise.  A moment later, they burst out of the cornfield, expecting to find themselves back on the road again, but, as before, discovering that they were somewhere totally different.

The two bewildered travelers looked around and immediately wished that they hadn't.  They found themselves in a lavishly decorated room with a high arcing ceiling.  The chamber was dimly lit with candles that cast exaggerated shadows along the walls.  The smell of incense permeated the air.  Elaborate tapestries, woven with golden thread adorned the walls.  They depicted wild-eyed characters, whose limbs were entwined in a passionate embrace.  Large pillows were stacked several feet high on either side of the walkway.

On the pillows, a variety of couples lay together.  Male and female, male and male, female and female, sometimes more than two at a time.  It seemed that they weren't very discriminating about their choice of partners.

"Jeez," Lina whispered as she covered her eyes.  Her face was flushed a bright shade of red.  "This really is Hell.  They're trying to embarrass me to death!"  Her eyes still covered, she yelled, "Put some clothes on people!"  

In her cursory examination of the room, Lina had found something about the people even more disconcerting then their actions.  Unlike her, they were all exceptionally beautiful.  She was suddenly struck by an agonizing sensation of sadness and isolation.

Sylphiel looked around embarrassedly.  "Miss Lina, look at them.  It's strange."

"I don't wanna!" Lina loudly protested.  A moment later she relented, peeking out from behind her hands.  "What the…?" she muttered quietly.

There was no love expressed on the faces of those around them.  Only the most animalistic lust.  As they watched, the people would viciously bite and claw at one another in mid coitus, sometimes drawing blood.

Lina subconsciously huddled closer to Sylphiel as she asked, "What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing at all," a voice hissed from the darkness.

Lina and Sylphiel looked up to see a tall woman stride out of the shadows.  If anything, she was more beautiful than any of the others in the room and the girls were overcome with a feeling of intense jealousy.

Lina drew her sword and pointed it at the newcomer.  "Hold it right there lady!  Who are you?"

Zelas stopped a few feet away from the pair and eyed them lustily, causing them both to blush all over again.  "Zelas.  The Greater Beast Zelas, to children like you."

"The Greater Beast?" Lina whispered as her silver edged blade became slack in her grasp.

"You have heard of me," Zelas said with a satisfied grin.

"In my line of work, it's hard not to," Lina said.  Greater Beast Zelas Metallium.  Patron demon of shape shifters."

"Shape shifters, Miss Lina?" Sylphiel said questioningly.

"Yeah," Lina nodded.  "Werewolves and things like that," she explained.  "And she, uh, has other duties as well," she muttered somewhat embarrassedly.

"No need to be shy about it," Zelas purred.  She turned to Sylphiel and said, "My realm involves the more … carnal portions of human personality."  She gestured to the writhing forms sprawled out on the pillows around them.  "Anything that deals with humanity's animalistic nature is mine to toy with."

"That's nice lady, but we don't have time to play around.  We're just here to collect someone and we'll be on our way," Lina said as she backed away from Zelas.

"Oh?" Zelas said with a thoughtful look on her face.  "You wouldn't happen to be looking for a darling little boy, would you?"

Lina was about to answer when she was shoved aside by an overeager Sylphiel.

"That's right!" Sylphiel said hopefully.  "Please tell me, is he all right?"

Zelas nodded.  "Quite well, in fact.  My dear brother hasn't quite decided what to do with him yet.  That means that his sport promises to be especially cruel.  I don't envy that poor child."

"Where is he?" Sylphiel asked.  "Miss Zelas, will you please help us find him?"

"Wait a second," Lina murmured suspiciously.  Something wasn't quite right here.  One of the greater servants of Hell offering aid without expecting compensation?  Not likely.  "What's your game, Zelas?" she demanded.

Zelas smiled playfully.  "Oh Lina, your quite good.  Despite your physical flaws, your mind is a sharp as a knife."

"What'd you just say?" Lina asked angrily.  She twirled her sword threateningly as she looked up at the demon.  She tried to smile and said, "Lady, you are really pushing your luck."

"I don't like to repeat myself, but for you I'll make an exception.  I said that despite the fact that you look like a mongrel that has been in one too many fights, you're really quite intelligent."

"That's mean!" Sylphiel admonished.

Lina's mouth dropped open in surprise.  She took a step back from Zelas and raised her sword.  "Mongrel?  That's it," she muttered, trying to muster some sense of anger or indignation to stem the tide of self-pity she was feeling.  She failed miserably in her endeavor.

"Well, it's quite true," Zelas said to Sylphiel with a shrug.  " I mean, look at her.  Take a good look at her body.  Those scars are hardly what I'd call beauty marks.  Quite honestly, I find it quite difficult to be in the same room with such hideousness."

"Hideousness?" Lina whispered.  She suddenly developed a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.  She felt naked under Zelas's gaze and fell to her knees.  Her sword fell to the ground as she hugged herself tightly.  Zelas could see her scars and knew the truth that Lina had tried to deny for so long.

"That's not true!" Sylphiel said angrily.  "Miss Lina is very pretty.  You can hardly see those marks."

Lina looked up when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.  She found herself face to face with Zelas.

"I know that it hurts," Zelas whispered.  "Nobody out there could ever want a broken toy like you.  Why not give up this foolish quest to save the child?  Stay here with me."  She pointed at something and said, "Look at that."

Lina looked over to see an incredibly handsome man with long blond hair situated comfortably on a particularly large cushion.  Seeing that she was looking at him, he smiled wolfishly and beckoned her over.

"You see Lina?" Zelas whispered hopefully.  "Isn't he a marvelous specimen?  And he's all for you."  She cupped Lina's face in her hands and leaned until their lips were less than an inch apart.  "Hell isn't all about pain.  Some aspects of it are actually quite pleasurable."  

Lina stared into Zelas's eyes with a terrified expression on her face.  Her hands shook as she fumbled for the Sword of Light hanging from her belt.  She had to stop this somehow.  As if it had a mind of its own, the hilt slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.

Zelas eyed the weapon distastefully.  "You needn't worry about picking that up.  You'll never need it again.  Don't you see, Lina?  Out there you are shunned for your imperfections.  Here, you are exalted."  She leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips against Lina's.  "Here, you are desired.  Don't you want that?" she whispered sensuously.  "Aren't you tired of the questioning stares?  The disgusted looks?"  She shook her head sadly and whispered, "You poor neglected child.  You don't have to live like that.  Let me give you what you deserve."

Lina swallowed hard and squeaked something that sounded like an agreeable answer.

"Oh no," Sylphiel whispered.  "Miss Lina, don't do it!"

Zelas ignored Sylphiel and whispered, "Beautiful," before leaning forward to passionately kiss Lina.  The redhead tensed up for a moment before going utterly limp in Zelas's embrace.  She broke the kiss and said, "That will do quite nicely, won't it?"

Lina nodded mutely and clung tightly to Zelas, desiring more of the acceptance that the Beast had promised her.

Zelas motioned her servant forward.  After Lina was satisfactorily occupied, she turned to face Sylphiel.  The smile that had been on her face faded instantly and she loomed over the healer menacingly.  "You," she hissed.

Sylphiel cowered slightly before the much taller woman.  She clutched her medallion tightly as she stared into Zelas's eyes.

Lina looked up into the eyes of the beautiful stranger who carried her.  Something about this was terribly wrong, but she was beyond caring at this point.  When Zelas kissed her, she'd felt something awaken inside her.  Some nameless desire, impossible to comprehend, impossible to refuse.  She whimpered as her companion lowered her onto the silk pillow.  It was unbelievably comfortable and any lingering reluctance that she had felt slipped mercifully away.

And then, Lina was lost.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  In the jaws of the Beast

Notes:  Fun chapter.  Don't you guys think? *crickets chirp*  Fine, be that way.  

Reader Response:

Otaku girl, you seem to be jumping the gun here.  Sure Rezo and Eris have shown up, but Lina might not be around to meet them.

Thanks a bunch dragonet!  Xellos's part was pretty interesting to write.  Don't look for it for a few chapters though.

Welcome aboard Cookie!  Thanks for the kind words!

Pogo, yes I'm bringing in new characters!  Just because they're introduced doesn't mean that I have to use them immediately (do I?).  I'm setting up things that won't be addressed for another 20 chapters or so.

Miss Gabriev, I thought that you'd get a kick out of the Martina bit.  As for the 'incident', I'm truly sorry about how things turned out for you.  I sincerely wish you only the best and I'll try to finish our story whenever I can.

Masaki, what's the thing about the next 2-3 chapters?  I suppose you'll just have to read them and see, won't you?  Glad you enjoyed the Gaav/Zangulus part.

A heartfelt thanks to Pogo for beta reading this mess and trying to whip some sense into me.  I'm sure that it didn't take, but thanks for trying!

* * *


	19. Escaping the Beast

Lina lovingly examined the stranger's familiar face.  She gazed into his liquid blue eyes and ran her fingers through his long flaxen hair.  He was so perfect.

The stranger smiled hungrily as he caressed the modest swells of Lina's breasts.  When he leaned forward to kiss her a moment later, she responded passionately, leaning up to meet his lips with her own.

"You," Zelas said as she glared at Sylphiel.  "I really don't know what to do with you.  Lina's such an impulsive creature, plagued by confusion and self-doubt, but you're a different type of animal entirely, aren't you?  So loving.  So pious.  So very repugnant."  She shook her head and sighed, "I'd make you an offer similar to Lina's, but I suspect that you wouldn't accept, would you?"

"Of course not!" Sylphiel said with a vehement shake of her head.  "And why did you tell Miss Lina those horrible lies?"

Zelas smirked and glanced over at Lina.  "Does it look like she cares?"

Lina was quivering in anticipation, oblivious to Sylphiel and the rest of the world.  She shared a fiery kiss with the gorgeous creature sharing the pillow with her.  She gasped and clutched his blond mane tightly as he began to trail kisses down her chin and then onto the soft flesh of her throat.

"Let her go," Sylphiel commanded.  "You've put her under some sort of spell, haven't you?"

"Let her go?  I've freed her," Zelas corrected.  "Now there is just the small matter of dealing with you."  Her muscles began to ripple under her skin and she seemed to grow.  A moment later, gray fur exploded from her cream colored skin and her face began to distort.

Sylphiel whispered, "Ceiphied help us," as she watched Zelas's appearance change from goddess to demon.

Now resembling a humanoid wolf, Zelas snarled, "There is more to my power than lust, Sylphiel.  I also represent hunger, another of humanity's baser instincts."  She ran her tongue over her fangs as she spoke.  "I think I'll skin you before I eat you."  She crouched low, preparing to pounce.

************************************************************************

Tasked with the burden of displaying even more people than before, the knives sang a metallic song as they danced through the flesh of Hellmaster's scrying tool.  The magic that rejuvenated the man's body was hard pressed to keep up, resulting in a blurry picture at times.

Hellmaster uttered a vile curse and muttered, "Damn reception," as he beat on the man.  The picture cleared and he returned to his seat.  "Huh, would you look at that," he remarked as he watched the action between Zelas, Lina, and Sylphiel unfold.  "That oversexed slattern actually did it," he begrudgingly admitted.  He was lounging comfortably on the body of a man contorted painfully into the shape of a chair.  He reached down and grabbed a handful of popcorn from a bowl on the floor in front of him and began to toss it into his mouth, piece by piece.  "Who'd have thought the stupid Inverse girl was that love starved."  He thought for a moment, pondering Zelas's technique.  Maybe it was possible to catch more flies with honey than vinegar, he mused.  "Not nearly as fun though," he snickered.  "Don't you agree?" he asked the man who was acting as his throne.

The individual in question was an emaciated creature who at that moment was desperately reaching for a piece of popcorn that Hellmaster had dropped on the floor.  Given the fact that his face made up one leg of the chair and his arms two of the others, this was no easy task.

Hellmaster watched this new humiliation with a broad grin on his face.  Just as the man was about to touch the popcorn with his outstretched fingers, Hellmaster snatched it up and ate it.  "This is good stuff," he said to the unfortunate soul.  "Needs more butter though."  He turned back to watch Lina as she was groped by the stranger.  He rolled his eyes and threw popcorn at the screen.  "Oh, come on Lina!" he yelled.  "Can't you see that he's playing you like a fiddle?  He's just going to break your heart.  Maybe some other stuff too."  He giggled evilly and said, "Oh, I love a good show."  He was a little disappointed that the Slayer hadn't put up more of a fight.  And now it looked like dear Sylphy was going to meet her painful end as well.  

************************************************************************

Lina trembled as the stranger began to undo the buttons of her blouse.  She felt a twinge of apprehension as she watched him expose her scarred torso, but moaned, part in relief, part in pleasure, as he greedily kissed the tops of her breasts.  He didn't care how she looked.  "You love me," she whispered gratefully.

The stranger ceased his ministrations to look at her quizzically.

Lina looked back down at him, expecting some sort of response.  Finally, she repeated, "You love me."  

The stranger smiled lustily and resumed his task of unbuttoning Lina's blouse.

Lina trembled again, not in desire, but in fear.  "You do… right?" she asked hesitantly.

Between kisses, the stranger hissed, "I want you."

Lina's eyes widened as she realized what Zelas had really offered her.  A lie.  "No!" she shouted, shoving the stranger off the cushion onto the floor.  "That's not what I want!"  She looked up to see Zelas looming menacingly over Sylphiel and growled angrily.  "Zelas…"

Zelas's ears perked up at the sound of Lina's voice.  She turned to face the Slayer and smirked.  "What's the matter Lina?  You seemed so eager a moment ago.  Wasn't he your type?"  She nodded at the man sitting on the floor and said, "How about now?"

Lina turned just in time to catch the stranger's wrists in her hands.  He was no longer the handsome man that she had seen before.  Now, he was a slavering beast that looked like a cross between a man and a dog.  "I let you kiss me?!" she yelled disgustedly.  When the beast lunged for her throat with its fangs, she rolled with the momentum and, placing her feet on its stomach, flipped the creature off her body.

The dog man crashed into an ornate candelabrum, knocking it to the floor.  

A moment later, one of the lavish cushions caught fire.  The flames quickly spread through the room.

The dog man climbed to his feet and growled menacingly at Lina.

Lina drew her sword and glared at the beast furiously.  Her hands shook with barely controlled anger as she took a step towards her foe.

"How interesting."  Zelas ceased stalking Sylphiel in favor of watching the upcoming melee.  It was a rare creature that was able to refuse the advances of one of her servants.  Invariably, those people would end up begging for her touch, but it was always a great deal of fun to break them.

Seeing her chance, Sylphiel dropped to all fours and quietly crept over to the Sword of Light.  She didn't understand how a sword with no blade could help them, but Lina had been trying to reach it when Zelas was ensnaring her.

At that moment, Lina was finishing up her rather brutal dispatching of the dog man.  As expected, it had been fairly clumsy and none too bright.  Hence, it fell rather easily to her blade.  Now she hacked at its twitching form, flinging large splotches of blood through the air every time she pulled her blade back.  Shoving the point of her sword into its skull one last time, she looked up at Zelas and snarled.

Zelas watched Lina impassively.  "That was very good Lina," she said with an approving nod.  "A more vicious killing, I haven't seen."  She sighed irritably and said, "I suppose that now you think that you're going to kill me as well.  Is that right?"

In answer to Zelas's question, Lina raised her sword over her head and lunged forward, driving the silver blade into the Greater Beast's heart.  "Gotcha," she hissed angrily.  

Zelas gasped and her body stiffened up.

"Miss Lina!" Sylphiel said hopefully.  One lucky strike and Zelas had been defeated, she thought.  The Sword of Light was temporarily forgotten.

Lina shoved the blade deeper and whispered, "Does it hurt?  I hope it does."

Zelas's eyes were wide with surprise.  She looked into Lina's crimson eyes before looking down at the weapon buried in her chest.  She wrapped her hands around the blade as she fell slowly to her knees and whispered, "It … it …"

Lina grinned wickedly.

"It … tickles," Zelas said with a terrifying giggle.  Before Lina could respond, she had backhanded the Slayer, sending her flying into a wall a dozen feet away.  She climbed to her feet and casually pulled the blade from her chest.  Despite the fact that the blade was coated with her black blood, she seemed to be unharmed.  "Commendable, Lina," she said as she slowly advanced on the redhead.

Lina sat on her hands and knees, her breath coming in big whooping gasps.  She'd hit the wall back first and had the wind knocked out of her.  She looked up and tried to focus on Zelas, but found her vision to be a blur of flame and smoke.  

The chamber was an inferno by this point.  Bodies still writhed sensuously on the blazing pillows, oblivious of the flames and carnage surrounding them.

Zelas held Lina's sword up for inspection as she approached the fallen Slayer.  "L.I.," she read aloud.  "Family heirloom, Lina?  I expect so.  The craftsmanship is too fine for a mongrel like you to afford."  She grinned and snapped the blade in two.  "So sad," she said, her voice full of mock sympathy.

Lina watched in horror as Zelas tossed the broken weapon aside as if it were garbage.  "No," she whispered.  "That belonged to Sis!"

"And this?" Zelas said while holding up a familiar necklace.

Lina stared at it and then glanced down at the spot where her medallion should have been hanging.  It was gone.  "How?" she asked.

"While you were wallowing in self pity, I took the liberty of relieving you of this.  I must tell you that I'm not pleased.  Ceiphied has no place here and neither do his trinkets.  I'll dispose of it now."  She glared at the medallion, willing it to disintegrate.

The silver glowed white hot briefly before returning to its original color unscathed.

"How can this be?" Zelas muttered darkly.  "The Flare Dragon has no power here."  She turned back to Lina just in time for Lina to thrust her foot into the Beast's face.  She staggered and dropped the medallion to the floor.

Lina snatched the medallion up as she scampered between Zelas's legs.  "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered as she tucked the chain in her pocket for safekeeping.  There was no doubt in her mind that Luna was watching out for her today.

"Miss Lina, here!" Sylphiel called out.

Lina looked up to see the Sword of Light sliding across the stone floor towards her.  She grinned as she reached out for it.  "All right!"

Zelas caught the sword just before it reached Lina's hands.  A second later, she'd picked Lina up by the collar and held her up several feet off the ground.  "Child, you are beginning to upset me," she growled angrily.  "And what is this?" she asked while looking the Sword of Light over.  "Another broken sword, Lina?"

"Oh no!" Sylphiel squeaked as she watched their hope for victory skitter into the hands of the enemy.

"Hey," Lina gasped, trying to take a breath.  The fabric of her cloak was clinched tightly around her throat, making breathing quite a chore.  She pulled at the clasp on her cloak frantically, trying to allow some air into her starving lungs and hissed, "That's mine!  Give it back!"

Zelas shook Lina roughly, rattling her teeth.  "Quiet, little one.  I'll deal with you presently."  She swung the Sword of Light a few times and muttered, "There's something here.  Some secret."  She turned to her captive and said, "Tell me what it is."

Lina, quite blue in the face by this point, saw her chance.  She noted that Zelas was holding the hilt so that it was aimed at the side of her head.  She kicked wildly, swinging herself forward while simultaneously releasing her hold on her collar in favor of reaching for the sword.  Her vision immediately went black as what little air she'd had before deserted her.  She felt Zelas's warm flesh beneath her right hand and thought for a moment that she'd missed her target.  A second later, her left hand found cool metal and breathed a mental sigh of relief.  She couldn't speak, so she prayed that the Sword of Light could read lips or something.  "Light come forth," she mouthed mutely.

Sensing Lina's touch and her desire, the Sword of Light responded violently, lancing Zelas's cheek, and disintegrating a number of the demon's teeth in addition to her tongue.

Zelas screamed unintelligibly and dropped both Lina and the sword in favor of clutching her ruined face.  Black ichor flowed freely from between her fingers and hissed angrily wherever it dripped onto the floor.

************************************************************************

Hellmaster rolled around on the floor with tears of cruel mirth streaming down his face.  "Oh my," he snickered.  "I'd give my left arm to see that again!  That was amazingly gratifying!"  He stopped snickering for a moment to think about the situation.

This apparently proved that demons could die, or at least get maimed, on their home plane.  That wasn't the most pleasant thought, but Hellmaster supposed that it really didn't make much difference.  There was no way that Lina was going to beat him in his home.  Despite her endless luck, she was still only human.

More somber then a moment before, Hellmaster settled back onto his chair to watch the rest of the conflict.

************************************************************************

Lina sat on all fours, coughing violently as she tried to suck in a much-needed breath of air.  "God … I hate … my job," she wheezed.  "I hate … my job.  I hate my … life.  This sucks … so much."  She spat up a bit of bloody phlegm and grimaced.  "Phibrizzo, you had better appreciate this."

"Let me help you," Sylphiel said as she took Lina's arm and helped her to her feet.

"Thanks," Lina said in a raspy voice.  "Zelas!" she yelled.  Her voice cracked in the middle of the name, but the demon heard her just the same.

Zelas turned slowly to face Lina.  Her visage was a ruined mass of blackened flesh.  A scrap of skin that might have been part of her cheek clung tenaciously to her jaw.  She reached up and ripped the dangling bit of flesh free and tossed it on the floor before uttering an inhuman roar that caused the room to quake.  She advanced on Lina murderously.

"That's right," Lina said.  "Just a little closer.  Let me finish what I started," she snarled as she held up the Sword of Light.

Zelas paused and indecisiveness flashed across her face.  She eyed the unlit sword, then Lina, and finally glared at Sylphiel.  A moment later, she turned and fled into the inferno on all fours.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Lina wheezed exhaustedly.  "Everyone cowers before the mighty Lina Inverse."  She leaned down and picked up the sad remains of her blade.  She doubted that any smith could repair the damage.  "Sorry Sis," she sighed.  "It had a good run though."  Her surroundings became blurry and she briefly wondered if Hellmaster had dreamt up some new trick to torment her with.

A moment later, Lina felt hot moisture on her cheeks and realized that she was crying.  She dropped her ruined sword, covered her eyes, and vented all the rage and humiliation that had been inflicted on her that night.  Her body was wracked with heaving sobs as she cursed the day that she'd first seen Phibrizzo.  Xellos had been right.  This wasn't worth the cost.  Thinking that made her feel even worse about herself.

Sylphiel knelt next to Lina and put a comforting arm around the redhead's shoulders.  "It's okay," she said quietly.

"No!" Lina sobbed loudly.  "No, It's not!"  A moment later, she said, "I should have just let Hellmaster have Phibrizzo and called it even."

Sylphiel sighed sadly and said, "You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do!  This was a mistake."  Lina thought of how Zelas had manipulated her feelings and how she had almost been ensnared.

"Maybe you're right, Miss Lina," Sylphiel said with a nod.  "Maybe you shouldn't have come.  But you did.  Because you wanted to help that poor child.  You're not going to give up on him now are you?  You just made Zelas run away in fear.  There can't be anything here much worse than her, can there?"

Lina sniffled and chuckled dryly.  "Don't ask questions like that Sylphiel.  You're just tempting Fate."  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and began to gather the pieces of her sword again.

"Do you think that you could have killed her?" Sylphiel asked as she helped Lina to her feet.

Lina carefully sheathed the remaining half of her sword before smiling wearily and saying, "Not a chance.  Let's go.  We've still got to find Phibrizzo, right?"  She actually managed to wink at Sylphiel and felt some of her confidence returning.

"Right!" Sylphiel said with a determined nod.

"Sylphiel?"

Sylphiel raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Don't tell anyone what happened here, okay?"

Sylphiel nodded.  A moment later she frowned and asked, "Well, if you don't think that you could have beaten Zelas, how are you planning to fight Hellmaster?"

"Well …" Lina said thoughtfully, "I guess we'll have to burn that bridge when we come to it, huh?"

Sylphiel sighed and said, "You don't really inspire much confidence, Miss Lina."  She supported Lina as they haltingly made their way through the incredibly hot chamber.

"Well, I never asked you to come with me, you know," Lina panted.  She reached up and wiped the sweat out of her eyes with the back of her hand.  If they didn't move quickly they wouldn't have to worry about Hellmaster.  The flames would get them first.  She sighed wearily and let her chin rest on her chest.  "I need a vacation," she muttered as she watched the floor dance in and out of focus.

Sylphiel saw Lina's head droop and the Slayer go limp against her.  "Oh no," she whispered apprehensively.  "Is she…?"  A moment later, the sound of soft snoring reached her ears and she smiled.  Miss Lina deserved a break, no matter how short it might be.  "I just wish that she wasn't so heavy," she muttered.

Lina's ears twitched and she mumbled, "Whadja say?"

"Oh, nothing!" Sylphiel said with a nervous chuckle.

"S'what I thought …" Lina said as she slipped back into a doze.

Sylphiel looked up and gasped in surprise.  It seemed that Lina wouldn't be able to rest after all.  "Miss Lina," she whispered nervously while gently shaking the redhead.

"Lemmie alone!  Can't it wait a second?" Lina groused.

Sylphiel said, "No, not really.  Miss Lina, please look!  It's important!"

Lina shook her head exhaustedly.  "No.  Too tired to lift head."

Sylphiel sighed in resignation and grabbed a handful of Lina's hair.

"Ow!  Hey, what's the big idea?!" Lina yelled as her head was jerked up to a level base.  "Oh," she said.  "That is important, isn't it?"

Standing before Lina and Sylphiel, wearing a cocky smile, was the Hellmaster Phibrizzo.  Lurking just behind him was a great beast composed of jagged bone.

"Well, you led us on a merry chase," Lina said as she yawned.  She released Sylphiel and shakily stood on her own.  "Finally decide to stop running, Hellmaster?"

Hellmaster shrugged, his smile growing wider.  "Still full of empty bravado.  You're almost as irritating as Rezo was.  It seems that egomaniacal blowhards are always thwarting my lovely designs.  You people just never stop talking."

"Oh, and I'm sure that you're the poster boy for modesty," Lina said with a smirk.

"I don't need to be modest," Hellmaster boasted.  "I'm the Hellmaster!"

"I'm the Hellmaster!" Lina repeated in a mocking tone.  "Like I haven't heard that before."  

Sylphiel grimaced and leaned over to whisper in Lina's ear.  "Miss Lina, do you think it's a good idea to antagonize him like that?"

"Sure," Lina whispered in return.  "Guys like the Hellmaster love to hear themselves yap.  If you get the bad guy talking it gives you more time to come up with a plan.  Watch."  She nodded at the beast lurking behind Hellmaster.  "Well Hellmaster, if you're so powerful, why'd you bring your lackey along?"

"Oh him?" Hellmaster said as he glanced over his shoulder.  "Surely you remember him.  Grau, the demon of bone."

"Oh yeah," Lina said while nodding.  "So ugly, where's your little playmate?"

Grau glared at Lina with blood red eyes.  "Grou never returned from your world.  What did you do with him?"

Lina shrugged.  "I don't know.  I'm not your brother's keeper."

Grau rumbled angrily and took a thunderous step towards Lina.  In doing so, he inadvertently bumped into Hellmaster, knocking the much smaller demon off his feet.  An instant later he realized what he had done and mumbled, "Sorry boss."

"Clumsy idiot!  You're making me look like a fool!"  Hellmaster jumped to his feet and began to mercilessly beat on Grau.  Given the fact that he stood only as tall as Grau's knee, Lina and Sylphiel found this quite comical.  "Look at that!" he snarled while pointing at the two giggling girls.  "They're laughing at me!   Back to the pit with you!"

"But sir …" Grau mumbled.

"Don't give me that!  I gave you an order!"  Hellmaster snapped his fingers, causing Grau to explode in a hail of bone shards.  "Idiot," he muttered darkly.

Lina and Sylphiel immediately stopped laughing.  

Sylphiel gasped in surprise at Hellmaster's cruelty.  He'd killed his own servant for a simple mistake?  Staring at the demon angrily, she whispered to Lina, "Miss Lina, can I try to talk to him?"

Lina shrugged and said, "Sure.  Knock yourself out."  She relaxed and tried to clear her mind.  They wouldn't be able to beat Hellmaster on their own.  It would take something more.  Her eyes came to rest on her medallion.  "Worth a shot," she whispered thoughtfully.

Sylphiel smiled warmly as she addressed Hellmaster.  "Mr. Hellmaster, will you please give us Phibrizzo?  We don't want to hurt you.  We just want to take him home.  Can't we be friends?"

Hellmaster raised his eyebrows questioningly.  "You're a few coins short of a purse, aren't you Sylphy?"

Sylphiel quietly said, "You just called me Sylphy."

Hellmaster blinked in surprise and said, "No… no, I didn't!"

Sylphiel smiled and leaned forward to embrace the childlike demon.  "You are in there!  Come on out Phibrizzo!  You can beat Hellmaster."

"No he can't!" Hellmaster protested.  "Get off of me Sylphy!  You're crazy!"

Lina smacked her forehead in frustration and mumbled, "Sylphiel, I think I'm going to have to agree with Hellmaster on this one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sylphiel asked as Hellmaster squirmed out of her grasp.

"Phibrizzo can't get out by himself.  We have to help him."  Lina stared intently at Hellmaster.  "You'd never surrender him quietly, would you?  You've got to get back at us somehow for foiling your plan."

Hellmaster had a crooked grin on his face.  He shrugged and said, "What can I say?  I'm a petty demon.  For what you've done, I think that you'll spend eternity watching me torture Phibrizzo.  It's your fault that this happened you know.  If you hadn't interfered, I would have given the boy a swift, relatively painless death in gratitude for the use of his body."  He sighed and shook his head.  "But now..."

"Now things are going to get ugly," Lina said as she hefted the Sword of Light.  She locked eyes with Sylphiel meaningfully and then glanced down at the medallion adorning the healer's neck.  She hoped Sylphiel understood what she was trying to say.

"Oh, what are you going to do, kill me?" Hellmaster snickered.  "That would defeat the purpose of your trip down here wouldn't it?  Phibrizzo can die.  As for me?  I am eternal."

"Zelas didn't look very eternal to me," Lina quipped.  "So why should it be any different with you?  Besides, who said anything about trying to kill you?  We're going to make you give Phibrizzo back.  One way or another."  She quickly turned to her companion and said, "Sylphiel, do it now!"

"Right!"  Sylphiel leapt towards Phibrizzo while simultaneously pulling the chain bearing her medallion from her cloak.  She pressed the cold metal to Phibrizzo's face with dramatic results.

Hellmaster shrieked in agony and ugly gray steam erupted violently from his cheek.

Sylphiel squeezed her eyes shut and whispered, "I'm sorry Phibrizzo.  It'll be over soon."

Snarling with murderous fury, Hellmaster placed a hand on Sylphiel's face and, with horrendous strength, shoved her away.

Sylphiel was thrown through the air, limbs flailing helplessly, until she slammed into the floor a dozen feet away. She bounced once and then rolled several times before coming to a rest.

"Sylphiel!" Lina yelled.  The healer lay motionless on the floor.  

Hellmaster dropped to his knees, screaming in agony and fury.  He tentatively reached up to touch the spot on his face that Sylphiel had burned.  He jerked his hand back with a snarl when his fingers began to burn where they made contact.  He slowly turned towards Lina, revealing a flawless image of the Flare Dragon seared into his cheek.

Lina saw the murderous intent in Phibrizzo's amber eyes and knew that a moment of hesitation would almost certainly mean death.  She pulled her own medallion from within her pocket and lunged at the childlike demon.

Hellmaster quickly sidestepped her attack and snarled, "Slow."  He drew his hand back and wicked talons exploded from Phibrizzo's fingertips.  Grinning wickedly, he thrust his claws into Lina's shoulder, reopening the angry wound that she had received from Grou earlier that night.

Even as the pain hit, Lina realized that he was right.  She was slow.  She hadn't eaten in days, hadn't slept in more than that.  Coupled with the wounds she had received that night, she was well past the limits of what she could do.  There was no doubt in her mind that if she fell, she'd never get up again.  Accepting that fact made her push herself all the harder.  She wasn't going to die here.  Not at the hands of this arrogant monster.

Fighting through the fresh pain, Lina whipped the medallion around again, meaning to shove it into Phibrizzo's face, only to find him standing a foot away from where she had struck.  Still too slow.  She overbalanced and fell to her hands and knees in front of Hellmaster, panting heavily.  "Not... good enough," she whispered.  Her shoulder burned fiercely where he had stabbed her.  Some kind of poison?  She'd worry about it later, she decided.

For his part, Hellmaster's fury had been replaced by confusion and self-doubt.  Ceiphied had no power here.  Sylphy's trinket should have been just that: a trinket.  Instead of making Lina and Sylphy crawl and beg for death, he was actually trying to avoid the Slayer's strikes.  Avoid them!  In his own realm!  The utter ridiculousness of the situation gave the demon pause.  There was some force at work here.  Something far greater than a couple of mortals that refused to lay down and die.

Just then taking note of Lina's vulnerable position, Hellmaster sneered and viciously kicked her in the ribs.  He smiled when he felt her ribs give under his foot and savored the sound of her strangled shriek of agony.

Lina flew a short distance, landed next to Sylphiel, and immediately began to roll around on the ground in terrible pain.  She clutched at her side and screamed when she felt her ribs shift painfully.  She rolled up onto her knees with her forehead pressed against the hot stone floor and tasted copper in her mouth Moaning helplessly, blood dripped from between her clenched teeth to pool on the floor.

Lina's years of working as a Slayer had given her a passing familiarity with anatomy and medicine.  After all, you couldn't spend five years of your life cutting things open without learning a thing or two.  If she was spitting up blood it could only mean one thing.  Her shattered ribs had punctured something and she was most likely bleeding to death.

The thought didn't frighten Lina.  In fact, it gave her a new feeling of freedom.  Now that she didn't have to worry about her own survival, she just had to concentrate on making sure that she took Hellmaster with her.  It was comforting to have such a simple goal.

Maybe death wouldn't be so bad, Lina thought as she arduously crawled over Sylphiel.  "It can't be any worse than this," she whispered.  She laid her head down on the healer's chest in exhaustion, noting that the girl was still breathing.  That was good, she thought.  A moment later, she began to cough violently, expelling more blood.  "Nope," she whispered even more quietly as she picked up the healer's medallion with trembling fingers.  "Can't be worse than this at all."

"Trying to hide behind Sylphy?" Hellmaster said with a chuckle as he watched Lina drape herself over the healer's body.  He smiled wickedly, but secretly felt a wave of relief.  If Lina was dying, that meant that whatever was going on was almost over.  He would win, if not the entire game, than a small personal victory at least.  There was always the next millennium in which to fulfill his goal of uniting the worlds.

"I must give you credit, Inverse," Hellmaster said amicably as he slowly walked towards the Slayer.  "You've fought harder than anyone that I've ever seen.  And I've seen a lot of people, Lina."  He stood next to her and rolled her onto her back with his foot.  "It was a valiant effort, but it all ends here."  He added, "In failure," unable to resist taking a final shot at the dying girl's pride.

"You're right," Lina croaked. "It is over."  She thrust her fist up at Hellmaster's face, making a last effort to burn him with her medallion.

Hellmaster sighed as he casually batted her pathetic strike aside.  He closed his eyes and snorted.  "Really Inverse, haven't you-"

While Hellmaster was talking, Lina brought her other hand, containing Sylphiel's medallion, up.  Instead of striking the demon with it, she did something far more terrible.  

Lina slipped the chain over his head.

Hellmaster shrieked, trying to bat at the offending object, but finding himself burned whenever he did so.  The chain sizzled against his neck and his flailing about flung the heavy medallion against points all over his upper body.  "Damn you!" he bellowed at Lina.

Lina leaned against Sylphiel and watched Hellmaster flail about with an immense feeling of satisfaction.  "Let him go, Hellmaster!" she called out weakly.  "You have to let him go!"

"No!" Hellmaster snarled, determined not to let Lina gain even that small a victory.  "I won't give you that!"  A moment later, the medallion came to rest just below his breastbone and sent white-hot pain lancing through every fiber of his being.  At that instant, he decided that maybe it wasn't really worth it to hold onto the kid.  The little bastard would be dead either way, right?

As Lina watched, Phibrizzo fell to his knees with his mouth agape.  His eyes rolled back into his head as he belched up a large cloud that looked as if it were made of liquid darkness.  A moment later, the child fell face first onto the ground.

Lina smiled.  It had worked.  She quickly rolled onto her side, gasping in pain as she came to rest on her shoulder.  At least she was more or less facing Sylphiel though.  "Sylphiel," she whispered while making a feeble attempt to shake the healer awake.  "Sylphiel, you have to wake up."

Sylphiel moaned and slowly opened her eyes.  When she saw Lina she gasped in shock, and quickly sat up.

Lina looked like a living corpse.  Her skin was incredibly pale and had a waxy look to it.  Blood ran from her mouth at a steady rate.  She shivered uncontrollably despite the intense heat of the room.  The only thing about the girl that didn't tell of her impending death was her fiery eyes.  They burned with a fierce resolve.

"Thank Ceiphied," Lina whispered.  "Take Phibrizzo.  Get out of here."

"What are you going to do?" Sylphiel said as she crawled over to the boy and scooped him up in her arms.

"Finish him off," Lina said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at the dark cloud that was beginning to take a more solid appearance.

"You can't!" Sylphiel said helplessly.

"Well ..." Lina muttered thoughtfully.  "I'll buy you some time then.  Maybe a thirty second head start on Hellmaster?"

"But-"

Lina tried to chuckle, but only managed something that sounded like a hiccupping cough.  "How many times do I have to say, 'No buts'?  Get out of here" Lina sighed in relief when Sylphiel finally sprinted away with Phibrizzo in tow.  "Now, time to put an end to this."  She turned painfully to look at Hellmaster and grinned.  "Sis, help me this one last time and I'll come home.  Just one more time."

Hellmaster looked like he did the first time he had transformed back on Lina's world.  Only now, without the constraints of a human host, his form was more grandiose and horrible.  Ugly horns jutted from myriad places on his body and his skin was a shiny ebony color.  He stood several feet taller than he had before and loomed over the fallen Slayer.  He looked at the fleeing Sylphiel and rumbled, "I will get them, you know."

The chamber shook violently at the sound of Hellmaster's true voice.

Lina grinned as blood began to trickle from her ears.  The demon's voice felt like knives in her skull.  "I know.  But I have to try."  She struggled to her feet as Hellmaster enjoyed every small pain associated with her doing so.  "It hurts," she whispered as she clutched at her ribs.  "It hurts so much."

"Then allow me to end your suffering," Hellmaster said with an ugly chuckle.  He took a thunderous step towards Lina, threatening to knock the girl back to the floor.

"I won't go easily," Lina said as she lifted the Sword of Light.  "I'll fight you until my last breath."

Hellmaster cracked his knuckles threateningly.  "So, about five seconds from now, then?"

"If that's what I have left," Lina whispered.  "Then yes."  She closed her eyes and murmured a quiet goodbye to Gourry.  "I'll miss you, jellyfish."  Then she steeled herself for the upcoming battle.

********************************************************************

Next Chapter:  An ending & a beginning

Notes:  Did everyone enjoy the portrayal of Zelas?  I thought that it was fairly interesting myself, and quite fun to write a villain that didn't want to kill the hero (well, not at first anyway).  One way or another, the next chapter is the end of the current story arc.

Reviewer Response:

Yep, I'm a Potter fan Pogo.  And as a matter of fact, Lupin (along with Sirius) is one of my favorite characters, although the name of Lupin wasn't really pulled from the books.  It's actually just a play on Lupine for the purpose of setting up the whole werewolf/vampire joke way back in chapter 1.

Otaku, you're a mind reader, huh?  Or maybe the story is just really predictable.  Glad you liked Zelas, although I think she's going to be the only demon besides Hellmaster to make an appearance.  I had ideas for the others, but couldn't think of a way to get them in the story.  Did you remember what you wanted to tell me?

Miss Gabriev, you'll get to see what Gourry does when he finds out that Lina's gone in the next chapter.  And don't worry.  I'm not worried about you.  I just really miss talking to you.  As for the story, I'll try to get something out of that mess, but it just won't be the same without your insane touches.

Oh, and thanks to Jakub for taking the time to write to me about his thoughts on the story.  Thanks a bunch!

Finally, a huge thanks to Pogo for betaing!


	20. The Slayer and the Demon

"Ooh, what happened?" Gourry muttered.  "Lina?" he said as he opened his eyes.  He'd just heard Lina's voice.  She'd been saying…  His brow was furrowed in thought as he tried to recall her words.  "Goodbye?" he whispered nervously.  He hastily sat up, wincing in pain.  He was sure that his body would be one giant bruise by morning.  "Hey!" he said, startling Amelia and Zelgadis.

Amelia turned to look at Gourry and beamed at him.  "You're awake!"

"Where's Lina?!" Gourry demanded as he looked around.  As he feared, the redhead was nowhere in sight.  He turned back to look at his companions and demanded, "Where is she?!"

Zelgadis and Amelia exchanged nervous looks.

Zelgadis put his hand on the hilt of his sword and growled, "Just calm down, Gourry.  There's nothing you can do about it, so there's no use getting upset."

Amelia added, "Yeah, and besides, Miss Lina's going to be just fine.  Right, Mr. Zelgadis?"  She nodded at Zelgadis, indicating that he should agree with her and do so quickly.

Just for an instant, Zelgadis gave Amelia a look of utter despondency.  Quickly realizing his mistake, he smiled unconvincingly and nodded.  "Yeah.  She'll be fine."

Gourry's sharp eyes caught the hopelessness on Zelgadis's face.  This did little to calm him down.  He reached up and grabbed the front of Amelia's shirt, eliciting a startled yelp from the acrobat.  He roughly pulled her down until they were face to face and asked, "Where is she Amelia?"

Amelia looked down guiltily, unable to bring herself to meet Gourry's penetrating gaze.  "Well…" she said.

"Well what Amelia?!" he demanded angrily.  He put his hands on her shoulders and unconsciously squeezed them tightly.

"Ow," Amelia whimpered as she squirmed in Gourry's grip.  "You're hurting me Mr. Gourry."

Gourry looked up at Zelgadis, who was glaring at him darkly before releasing Amelia.  "I'm sorry."  He sighed shakily before saying, "I heard her voice.  She said goodbye.  Like she wasn't coming back, Amelia!  So please, tell me where she is."

"Goodbye?" Amelia whispered as tears welled up in her eyes.  She looked to Zelgadis who shrugged helplessly.  "Do you think…?"

"How should I know?" Zelgadis grumbled.  He turned to Gourry and said, "Hell.  Lina went to Hell to save the child."  

Gourry nodded, as if this development were only a slight inconvenience.  "Right."  He struggled to stand but found himself being restrained by Zelgadis's hand on his shoulder.  He glared at him and said, "Let me go, Zelgadis."  There was a threatening tone in his voice and his hand moved to his belt where the Sword of Light should have been hanging.  Grabbing nothing, he looked down in puzzlement and then back at Zelgadis.

"She took the sword when she left," Zelgadis explained.  "And there's nothing you can do, so I suggest that you calm down and wait."

"Like hell I will," Gourry growled angrily.  He shoved Zelgadis away roughly and climbed to his feet.

"Mr. Gourry-" Amelia started to say when Zelgadis shook his head.

"Let him go Amelia," Zelgadis muttered as they watched Gourry rush back into the collapsing building.  "He'd hurt you if you tried to stop him."

"Mr. Gourry wouldn't do that!" Amelia protested.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Well…" Amelia said while pondering Gourry's actions.  He'd seemed pretty mad which was a little frightening.  She hadn't thought that the swordsman was capable of anger.  He'd always seemed pretty easygoing, but now…  Things had changed, it seemed.

************************************************************************

 The moans persisted in Zelas's realm, but now the sounds of passion were mingled with groans of pain.  The inferno had greedily devoured everything in the chamber, be it silk or flesh.  The blackened bodies of the deathless undulated on piles of charred fabric that had once been lavish cushions.

Amidst the chaos, two seemingly mismatched foes, a beast born from the darkest nightmare and a grievously injured girl, faced off for what they both hoped would be the final time.

Hellmaster cocked his head as he watched Lina struggle just to remain standing in front of him.  "It won't work," he said with a cruel chuckle.

"What's that?" Lina asked.  Her world became dark for a moment before she was able to shake the disorientation off.  She'd missed his response.  "Say again?"

"The sword," Hellmaster said.  "Even if you had the strength to lift it, you can't use it.  I know your thoughts.  You don't have the willpower required and as Zelas demonstrated so well, your thoughts are anything but pure."

Lina looked down to see the Sword of Light on the verge of slipping from her numb fingers.  She willed them closed around the hilt and they reluctantly responded.  "Things change, Hellmaster."

Hellmaster snorted derisively, expelling a plume of noxious steam from his nostrils.  "Not enough to save you.  I've come to respect your determination, foolish though it may be.  Let me offer you a deal, Lina.  Lay down the Sword of Light and I'll allow you the mercy of bleeding to death.  I will not harm you."

Lina laughed out loud.  It hurt her side like hell, but she did it in spite of the pain.  "You know, that's a really generous offer, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn you down."

"You'd be wise not to anger me any more than you already have," Hellmaster snarled.

Lina looked at Hellmaster, as if seeing him for the first time.  He was hunched over defensively and was making sure to stay well out of her reach.  She grinned and mockingly asked, "Are you really that scared of me?"

Hellmaster roared in fury, shaking the chamber to its foundation.  He stormed across the room, intending to crush Lina underfoot.

Lina fell to one knee, grimacing in pain.  She raised the Sword of Light and mumbled, "Here goes nothing…"  She drew a shaky breath and yelled, "Light come forth!"

************************************************************************

Sylphiel ran on, ignoring the furious roar that erupted from the room behind her.  "Miss Lina," she said sadly, sure that the Slayer must be dead by now.  But there was no time to mourn right now.  She had a more important matter to think about.  How was she going to get out of Hell with her precious burden?

Sylphiel paused at a junction in the hallway.  As her eyes wandered over the numerous passages she began to despair.  "There's no rhyme or reason to this place," she complained.  Passages branched off from the main chamber in every conceivable direction.  Left, right, down, there were even some seemingly inaccessible passages in the ceiling.  "What am I supposed to do?"

"Take that one," a voice called out from the shadows.

Sylphiel jumped and almost dropped Phibrizzo.  She quickly turned to see who had called out to her.

A man wrapped in a tattered gray cloak with a hood drawn over his face pointed down a seemingly random passage.  "Take that one and go straight through to the end.  That's the way out."

Sylphiel nodded slowly, deciding that she may as well trust the man.  She had no idea on her own of where to go.  "Thank you, kind sir."

The man waved dismissively and sat back down in the corner.  That was why Sylphiel hadn't seen him.  Huddled up with the cloak pulled around him, she had mistaken him for a boulder in the shadows.

Sylphiel moved quickly, intending to run down the hallway that the stranger had indicated, but paused when she got near him.  He was shaking like a leaf and he looked rather ill.  Under the hood, she caught the briefest glimpse of purple bangs clinging to a forehead drenched with sweat.  "Are you alright?" she asked concernedly.

"Oh, I'm just lovely, thank you for asking!" the man chuckled.  "You'd best run along now.  I don't really know how much time you have left."  He swatted her playfully on the butt with a wooden staff he produced from under his cloak.  "Get going."

Sylphiel took another couple of steps down the passage before her curiosity got the better of her.  She turned back and asked, "Who are you, sir?  Why are you helping us?"

There was an amused snicker from under the hood and the man waggled a finger at her.  "Dear child, that is a secret!"

************************************************************************

The Sword of Light shone gloriously through the burned out chamber.  The dark flames that had threatened to engulf both combatants seemed to recede, as if they themselves were recoiling from the purity of the light.

"Impossible!" Hellmaster roared as he shaded his eyes against the offensive light.  "How does she control it?"

Lina had no answer for the Hellmaster.  She stared at the blade, her expression full of wonder.  "It's so beautiful," she whispered reverently.  

The blade, which had flickered every other time Lina had tried to use it, glowed continually and brightly, betraying none of the confusion and fear that she'd felt before.  It hummed softly, a steady comforting sound in the madness around her.  When Gourry had wielded the sword, the blade had been broad, like his old sword.  Now that Lina used it, the blade seemed narrower, almost like a rapier.  Now that she looked at it, the hilt also appeared to have shrunk somewhat to more closely approximate Luna's sword.  A few practice swings confirmed her theory.

The most amazing thing was not the sword, but the miraculous change that Lina felt within herself.  Her horrible wounds that had almost incapacitated her before felt slightly less painful.  The pain in her side had receded to a dull ache and she found that she could move her shoulder again.  The warm light cascading along her body infused her with energy that she hadn't felt in a long time, seeming to wipe away the long days without food or rest.  Although she was unable to see it, the first hints of color had returned to her face as well.

Lina grinned and stood up with little effort.  Testing her newfound vigor, she quickly hopped from foot to foot, staying on the balls of her feet the entire time.  There was no fatigue, relatively little pain, and none of the despair that she had felt earlier.  "Okay Hellmaster," she said while leveling the sword at him.  "Let's go!"

************************************************************************

After Sylphiel had gone, the smile quickly dropped from Xellos's face to reveal a terribly pained expression.  He turned his head to the side and retched uselessly.  His stomach was quite empty as he only ate to keep up appearances around other people.

"Xellos, what are you doing here?" the priest muttered, not for the first time.  "You've got a sermon to write, plans to carry out, and a very irritated superior to report to."  He chuckled in spite of his condition.  In all his long years he'd never expected to see a mortal standing against the Hellmaster.  How very quaint.  But he was missing the show.

Grimacing, Xellos crawled on hands and knees towards the chamber that was Lina and Hellmaster's battleground.  Later, there would be repercussions for his actions, but now he would see if he had been right about Lina.

************************************************************************

Lina leapt back, nimbly avoiding Hellmaster's scythe like talons.  "Here goes nothing," she whispered apprehensively.  If the Sword of Light couldn't hurt him, this fight would be nothing more than a stalling tactic for Sylphiel and Phibrizzo's benefit.  Smiling grimly, she lunged forward and nicked the demon on the forearm.

Hellmaster's black flesh split asunder where Lina had struck him.  Dark fluid that reeked of brimstone gushed from the wound.

The demon roared in mingled anger and pain and clutched his wounded arm.  A furious hiss escaped his lips as he glared at the Slayer.  He reared back with his right hand, feinting an attack.  When Lina's attention was sufficiently focused, he whipped his tail around, intending to split the insolent woman in half at the waist.

Almost too late, Lina heard a deadly whistling sound and realized what Hellmaster was trying to do.  She had neither the time nor strength to jump over the spiky club so she did the only thing that she could think of.  She knelt down and held the Sword of Light up so that Hellmaster's tail would have to go through the blade to get to her.

The impact was horrendous and Lina went rolling across the floor until she came to a painful stop at the base of a wall.  Upon impact, the Sword of Light was jarred from her grasp.  As the blade extinguished, so did her miraculous strength and she felt her injuries flare up as if they were new.  She whimpered as she reached for the hilt.  Thankfully, it had come to rest right next to her.  Any farther and she would have almost certainly given up and died.

Hellmaster clutched his grievously injured tail and inspected the damage.  Lina had almost removed it.  The lower half of the appendage dangled precariously, attached only by a thin strip of flesh.  It thrashed about violently, the nerves almost totally severed.  Gritting his teeth, he gripped it tightly and pulled.  There was a horrible tearing sound and he screamed in pain.  A moment later, he cast aside the worthless bit of flesh and turned to face his adversary again.

Hellmaster observed Lina, a wicked smile slowly forming on his face.  "How… fascinating," he mumbled to himself.  The Slayer looked to be on death's door once again without the Sword of Light.  He watched curiously as she grabbed the hilt, uttered that infuriating phrase, and stood again with the relit blade.  The sword was sustaining her somehow.  If he could somehow get it away from her, her injuries would do the rest.

"See something funny?" Lina snarled at the grinning demon.

In answer, Hellmaster snapped his fingers.  "My world, my rules little girl," he said with cruel chuckle.

"What's that supposed to mean?"  Lina yelped in surprise as the wall behind her grew stony arms and tried to wrench the Sword of Light from her grasp.  She whirled around and cut the offending limbs from the stone.  Without stopping, she spun back around and deftly parried Hellmaster's attempt to skewer her on his talons.  She quipped, "You're about as subtle as a herd of elephants."

Hellmaster's eyes glinted and the area of the ceiling over Lina's head instantly shifted from stone to red-hot magma.

Lina's eyes widened in surprise and she barely managed to dive out of the way of the deadly downpour.  "Okay," she begrudgingly admitted, "You've got some tricks.  But so do I."  Despite the fact that she was ten feet away from the demon, she whipped the sword in Hellmaster's direction while yelling, "Light come forth!"

A solid beam of light erupted from the blade and exploded into Hellmaster's shoulder.

Hellmaster watched uncomprehendingly as his arm dropped away from his body to land on the floor beside him.  An instant later, the agony explained in detail what had happened to him.  He shrieked and clutched at the spurting stump, fruitlessly trying to stem the flow of blood.  It was really going to happen, he thought.  Lina Inverse was going to kill him.  He watched helplessly as she charged at him with her weapon raised over her head.  "No!" he bellowed, releasing his grip on his shoulder in favor of swinging at Lina.

Lina ducked, deftly avoiding Hellmaster's clumsy attack and whipped the Sword of Light into his leg.  There was a moment of resistance and then the blade sailed effortlessly through demon flesh and bone to sever his left leg just below the knee.

Hellmaster gasped in surprise at this new development.  He teetered for a moment, trying to keep his vertical base.  The last thing that he wanted was for his foe to be able to reach his head.  As his remaining knee gave out and he fell, he wondered, more out of curiosity than anything, if he could die.  He wasn't afraid of death.  At this point, the battle had reached such a level of raw absurdity that he found it impossible to feel anything except bewilderment.

The demon's thoughts were interrupted by the impact of his body on the floor.  A great cloud of ash was thrown into the air, momentarily obscuring his view of the chamber and of Inverse.

A funny thought flashed across Hellmaster's mind.  What if he had fallen on her?  That would be an amusing end to the fight wouldn't it?  The idea of a Lina sized splat on the floor underneath him made him chuckle.

Lina's voice drifted out of the blackness.  "I don't see why you're laughing," she said in a tone of deadly seriousness.  "You're about to die."

Hellmaster hissed as he saw Lina emerge from the smoke.  The first thing that he saw was the Sword of Light, piercing even the darkness layered upon darkness, and then the tenacious Slayer herself.  Desperately, he clawed at the ground, trying to put some distance between himself and his foe.  His Herculean efforts gained him a few inches, perhaps.

Lina strode confidently towards the fallen demon, revealing none of the pain she was feeling.  The Sword of Light helped her, but there was still only so much her battered body was capable of.  She paused just in front of Hellmaster's throat and gazed into the red pits of his eyes.  "Are you done?" she asked.

Hellmaster just stared back at her mutely.  He found that he had forgotten how to manipulate his realm.  He could have turned the stone under Lina's feet to air, sending her plummeting to her death.  Hell, if he'd wanted to, he could have turned the very air in her lungs to maggots and watched as the insolent girl was devoured from the inside out.  That would have been amusing.  So many good ideas, but he found that all he could focus on was the blade that hovered mere inches from his throat.

Gripping the hilt in both hands, Lina raised the Sword of Light over her head, preparing for a decapitating strike.  If it was possible, the sword seemed to glow even more brightly when she did so.

Just before the deathblow fell, Hellmaster whipped the remaining part of his tail up in the air and loudly slammed it down on the floor.

Distracted, Lina lowered the sword and prepared to defend herself against this new perceived threat.  She didn't see Hellmaster's hand until it was already around her waist.  "Damn it!" she yelled as the large fingers closed around her.

Hellmaster began to squeeze with all his remaining strength.

Lina grimaced as her ribs angrily protested this new mistreatment.  Instinctively, she raised the sword and chopped down, severing Hellmaster's index and middle fingers at the second joint.  She brought the blade up again to finish freeing herself.

Hellmaster didn't even notice the sting of losing his fingers.  He had one last opportunity to win this battle and he wasn't going to waste it.  Holding her by her legs, he lifted her up in the air and dashed her violently against the floor.

Lina felt hot pain lance through her body and then everything became darkness.

************************************************************************

"Lina!" Gourry yelled, trying to be heard over the groans and creaks of the falling building.  "Lina, where are you?!"  Somehow, he'd made it back down to the basement where he'd last seen the Slayer.  She had to be down there somewhere.  He waded through the pile of bodies, unmindful of their glassy eyed stares.

Suddenly something was expelled violently from the portal at the center of the room.  A female form and a young boy came to rest in the center of the room.

"Lina?" Gourry called out hopefully.  "Is that you?"  He quickly made his way over to the still form.  "Sylphiel?" he said quizzically.

"Gourry?" Sylphiel said hopefully.  "Gourry dear, it is you!"  She reached out to hug him but was interrupted by a loud crack as the final ceiling support began to give way.  She watched this with a puzzled look on her face.  "How long were we gone?" she asked a moment later.

"About ten minutes," Gourry impatiently answered.  "Sylphiel, where's Lina?  What happened to Lina?"

Sylphiel wanted to believe that Lina was coming back, but her skills as a healer told her otherwise.  Lina had been too far gone.  Tears began to spill down her cheeks as she answered Gourry.  Her words shocked the swordsman to the core of his being.

 "Oh Gourry," Sylphiel sobbed, "Miss Lina's dead!"

************************************************************************

In the bowels of Hell, amidst the fire and brimstone, a strange sight could be seen.  Lying uselessly on a broken floor, two shattered adversaries glared at one another, unable to continue a physical confrontation, but continuing their battle of wills.  Neither of them blinked, tenaciously refusing to allow the other to claim even that small a victory.

Lina lay on the stones, wishing that she were dead.  Something else had broken when Hellmaster had slammed her down.  She assumed it was her leg.  It hurt to move it.  The Sword of Light still burned, but was quickly dimming, casting shadows on her face and the dark face of her adversary.

Hellmaster lay a few feet away from her, chuckling tiredly.  "I win," he stated simply.

"Oh?" Lina said, returning Hellmaster's exhausted grin.  "That's strange, because I was under the impression that we were both about finished."

"Eternal," Hellmaster gasped painfully.  "I am eternal, Lina.  This is just a… temporary setback."

That statement sent Lina into a fit of agonizing giggles.  "Oh come on," she quipped, "We both know that you don't have a leg to stand on."

Hellmaster thought for a moment before laughing.  "I get that!  Very amusing Lina, but of course I could say the same about you."

Lina shifted her head down to look at her leg.  It was most certainly broken, about mid shin to be precise.  If she were so inclined, and in her mood she might very well be, she could bend leg to make her foot touch her knee.  It wasn't pretty.  She looked back at Hellmaster and stuck her tongue out playfully.  "At least mine's still attached."

"Details," Hellmaster said dismissively.  "Attached or not, you'll be just as dead in the next few moments."

"Aw, why do you say that?" Lina cutely pouted.  "I've got nothing better to do, so I thought that I'd linger for a little bit to keep you company."

Hellmaster smiled cruelly and said, "Alas, I don't think that will be the case.  You've been a worthy foe.  Farewell, Lina Inverse."

Lina frowned.  Hellmaster was up to something.  He had begun to rise off the floor.  A second glance corrected this mistake.  Hellmaster wasn't rising.  She was sinking.  The floor had taken on the consistency of mud and her body was already halfway submerged.  She glared at Hellmaster and blurted out, "That's cheating!"

Hellmaster waved tiredly as Lina continued her descent.  "Regret your foolishness in death."

Lina scowled angrily.  There was no way that she was going to let this arrogant demon kill her.  A draw she could deal with, this was the Hellmaster after all, but a loss?  No way.  She drew the Sword of Light back in her hand that hadn't been submerged yet.

Hellmaster growled, "No!" as he realized what Lina intended to do.  He struggled to move out of the way, but it was too late.

Lina tossed the sword like a javelin.  It sailed through the air before imbedding itself in Hellmaster's forehead.

Hellmaster clutched at his skewered head for an instant before fading like so much mist.  The Sword of Light clattered to the ground where his body had been located a moment before.

Lina grimaced as she felt the floor harden around her.  "Great," she muttered darkly.  "As if my day couldn't get any worse."  

The Sword of Light flickered and then went out, leaving the exhausted Lina in the dark.  Now that the sword was out of her grasp, every small agony inflicted upon her came rushing back.  The physical hurts inflicted by Hellmaster, the emotional ones inflicted by Zelas, they were all too much for one exhausted girl to bear and she began to cry hopelessly.  It was dark, the floor was cold, she was utterly alone, and her body hurt so much.  It wasn't fair.

At least she'd won, Lina thought as the world began to dim.  Her eyes caught movement and she looked up to see a man in a gray cloak standing over her.  "Oh, hello," she sniffed exhaustedly.  At least she wouldn't have to die alone now.

The man smiled enigmatically and reached out to caress Lina's face.

************************************************************************

Dawn broke over the ravaged city of Sairaag, bringing neither reassurance nor hope to its residents.  They had all seen too much darkness in the night to be comforted by something as trivial as the coming of a new day.

"Mr. Gourry?" Amelia timidly said.  She reached out to put a hand on the swordsman's shoulder.

Zelgadis grabbed her wrist before she did and shook his head quietly.

Gourry sat cross-legged in the middle of the street with his face in his hands.  He'd been that way since he'd gotten Sylphiel and Phibrizzo out of the building.  Moments after he had done so, the structure had finally given up the ghost and collapsed in a heap.  It had driven home the fact that Lina wasn't coming back.

A little ways away, Sylphiel and Phibrizzo hugged each other, grateful to be alive.

Phibrizzo whispered, "I knew you'd keep your promise."

Sylphiel hugged the boy more tightly in response as silent tears spilled down her face.

Unable to cope with the conflicting emotions she was feeling, Amelia burst into tears.  "It's not right!" she sobbed.  "I'm happy that Phibrizzo was saved, but Miss Lina…"  She turned to Zelgadis and collapsed into his arms.  "Why'd Miss Lina have to die?!"

Zelgadis tentatively hugged Amelia and awkwardly patted her on the back.  He knew that he should say something to comfort her, but he couldn't find the words.  He felt so utterly useless that he thought that he might start crying himself.

"Why, hello there!  Good morning to you all!" Xellos said with a cheerful wave as he stepped out of a nearby alley.  "And isn't it a lovely morning?  The sun is shining and the birds are singing!  Well, I was just passing through the neighborhood and-oh?" he said, noting for the first time that nobody had acknowledged him.

Zelgadis glared at Xellos furiously, while Amelia and Gourry were lost in their grief.  Sylphiel and Phibrizzo were too caught up in each other to notice Xellos's entrance.

Xellos muttered, "Tough crowd.  Why the long faces, everyone?" he loudly asked.  Unperturbed by the lack of response, he bent down in front of Gourry and said, "You should be happy, Gourry!  Hellmaster has been defeated and everything is as it should be!"

Zelgadis grimaced and hastily whispered, "That's not a good idea!"  There'd been enough death tonight.  He had no interest in seeing Gourry pull Xellos's head off.

"Oh?" Xellos muttered inquisitively.  "And why is that?"  He leaned back down to address Gourry again.  "Gourry, I really think that you should look at the situation rationally.  Sure there was some property damage and a couple of trivial deaths, but-"

Gourry was on his feet in an instant and holding Xellos aloft by the front of his robes.  "Trivial deaths?" he yelled incredulously.  "Trivial deaths?!" he repeated, shaking the priest violently to emphasize his point.

The others watched Gourry, praying that he wouldn't decide to break the frail old man in half.

"Gourry dear," Sylphiel said, trying to catch the swordsman's attention.  It didn't work.

"Well yes," Xellos said with a bemused grin on his face.  "I fail to see the problem with sacrificing a few lives when so many were saved in the long run!"

"But…" Gourry said as his rage cooled, "Lina's gone."  He set the priest back down on his feet before sitting back down on the street and crying.  "She's gone."

Xellos sighed and shook his head sadly.  "That is true.  But, I hope that you can take some small comfort in the knowledge that she's in a far better place."

Gourry nodded, sobbing loudly through his cupped hands.

Xellos knelt next to the weeping swordsman and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "I understand that it's hard and it hurts.  But Lina's not hurting anymore where she's gone.  You have to remember Gourry, Ceiphied works in mysterious ways and when He calls His servants home, they have to-Oh?  I wonder what that could be…"

Gourry looked up and saw Xellos shading his eyes against the light of the dawn.  He turned to see what the priest had been spied and saw something glinting in the ruins of the building.  Curious, he climbed to his feet and made his way over to the mass of rubble.

"Huh," Gourry said with a cheerless chuckle.  "It's my sword."  He picked the Sword of Light out of the rubble and looked at it sadly.  Something else caught his eye and he casually tossed the sword aside in favor of digging through the debris.  He had seen the corner of a cloak.

"What's he looking for?" Amelia asked Zelgadis.

Zelgadis shook his head.  "I have no idea."  He glanced at Xellos out of the corner of his eye and was irritated to find the priest smiling.  "What are you so happy about?" he snapped at the priest.

Xellos turned to Zelgadis and said, "Why, the dawn Lord Greywords.  The end of darkness and the beginning of a glorious new day."

Zelgadis was about to say something quite rude to Xellos when a shout from Gourry drew his attention.  He squinted against the brightness of the sun as he turned to see Gourry pulling something from the rubble.  Ignoring the pain the light inflicted, he took a hesitant step towards the swordsman and whispered, "Is that…?"

"Miss Lina!" Amelia shouted joyously.  "He found Miss Lina!"

And so he had.  Standing amidst the rubble, his smile brighter than the sun if that was possible, Gourry gingerly held the battered and broken body of Lina Inverse.

"It really is a beautiful day, isn't it?" Xellos remarked cheerfully.  "Not a cloud in the sky."

Zelgadis stared at Gourry, dumbfounded.  He turned to Xellos and asked, "How did you know that she was there?  Even I didn't see her."

"That is a secret!" Xellos said with a playful snicker.

Startled, Sylphiel looked up at the priest when he spoke those words.  "Like that other man," she whispered thoughtfully.

"She's alive!" Gourry called out happily.  He hugged her to himself ever so gently as he stepped out of the ruins.  "Lina's alive!" he repeated, as if the whole world hadn't heard his first joyous proclamation.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Picking up the pieces

Notes:  Well, this is the end of the Hellmaster arc and I hope that you all enjoyed it.  I had a blast writing it, and I don't think that I'd change anything about the story so far in retrospect, which is a rarity for me.

Now for a bit of bad news.  Well, not really bad per se, but you know what I mean, right?  I'm going to be taking a short hiatus from this story.  Before you start throwing things, I just want to point out that I'm not quitting.  Far from it.  I've already got a few chapters of the next arc done.  I just want to get more written out so I have an idea of where it's going before I start to post.  After all, you guys want it to be the best it can be, right?  *ducks a thrown object*  I knew you'd understand!

Reviewer response:

Miss Gabriev, Sylphiel had a little help in her escape as you saw.

Otaku girl, I'm glad I could be of assistance.  Ooh, you write too?  What sort of stories do you write if I may ask?

Dragonet, a whole bunch of comments this time, huh?  Thanks!  I had a role for Dynast and Dolphin, but decided to cut them at the last minute.  I thought it would be a little overblown for Lina to cut her way through every demon in existence.

In case you're curious, Dynast was going to represent avarice and treachery.  Based on the one picture I've seen of him, it seemed to fit.  Unfortunately, I couldn't really think of a way to tempt Lina with something as trivial as wealth, so he didn't make it in.  

Dolphin was going to represent insanity.  I briefly considered putting her in, but I honestly had no clue as to how Lina was going to beat someone that was going to eat her mind.  So, she was caught up in her own little world while the events of the past few chapters were going on.

Pogo, thanks for the betaing!  *offers more cherries*  Don't feel to bad for Zelas.  I'm sure that she'll grow back.  Again with the Inuyasha stuff!  *covers ears*  La, la, la, la!  I'm not listening!  You're not going to get me obsessed with yet another anime!


	21. The Healing

The darkness stretched on eternally.  Lina slept uncomfortably, sometimes dead to the world, sometimes a hair's breadth away from awareness, but always unconscious.  In the times that she felt almost awake, snatches of conversations came to her.

"It's quite bad … have to set…"

Lina wondered briefly what was going on when she felt agonizing pain in her leg.  She made a mental note to strangle Sylphiel when she woke up.  She promptly forgot her promise when she slipped back into a deeper sleep.

"…stay with her … doesn't like … in the dark…"

That voice comforted Lina.  She knew from the way that he sounded and the pressure of his hand on hers that Gourry was with her.  She slept easily that night.

"…brought flowers, Miss Lina!"  This cheerful voice was accompanied by a light floral scent.

Lina smiled inwardly.  She struggled against the darkness listen to Amelia.  It was hard because she was always so tired and listening to anything in great detail had a tendency to drain her already exhausted strength.  

During her sporadic and brief periods of semi awareness, Lina listened as Amelia regaled her with stories about the reconstruction effort in Sairaag, the activities of her friends, and some very exciting news.  Zelgadis had told Amelia that the High Priest was visiting the city.

Lina felt some of her enthusiasm return when she heard that.  She'd always wanted to meet Rezo XVIII.  In the long and illustrious line of High Priests, he was without a doubt one of the most compassionate and intelligent of them.  The only problem with meeting Rezo would be the fact that he'd have her put to death.  She was a rogue Slayer after all.  She wondered if that particular quibble could be worked around as the world went from gray to black again.

As time went by, it became harder and harder to focus on the voices around her and Lina wondered if something was wrong with her.  Well, something more than her injuries that was.  So she wondered and occasionally she'd try to listen, often with little success.

Lina rose reluctantly out of the depths of unconsciousness, drawn back to the sounds of reality by frantic voices.  It was easy to hear these, because of how loudly they were speaking.  Sensing their urgency, she began to panic a bit herself.

"…can't leave … Lina…" Gourry's voice called out repeatedly.  He squeezed her hand every time he spoke to her.

Lina wanted to tell Gourry that she had no intention of going anywhere, but she couldn't deny the fact that something was dreadfully amiss.  She struggled fruitlessly to squeeze his hand in return, but couldn't muster the strength.

Amelia's near panicking voice asked, "…wrong with her Miss Sylphiel?"

There was the sound of dripping water and a moment later Lina felt something cool and damp placed on her forehead.  Not just cool, she corrected herself a moment later, icy cold.  How anything could be that cold was beyond her understanding.  

It was just then that she realized how hot she was.  It felt as if her insides were ablaze.  And these people had a heavy blanket on top of her?  What were they thinking?!  She shrugged it off repeatedly, but invariably Gourry would replace it while whispering reassuring words to her.

Lina wanted to call Gourry a stupid jellyfish and hit him over the head for trying to keep her covered, but the simple fact of the matter was that she felt incredibly weak.  Not that she'd felt strong before, but this was worse.  In a way, it felt like she was fading away.  Reluctantly, she allowed her protector to tuck the blanket back under her chin.

Sylphiel said, "…burning up … won't last the night …"

For the first time in the entire ordeal, Lina felt a deep sense of dread.  "Won't last the night" was obviously referring to her.  Had she become sick on top of everything else? After all she had been through, wasting away in bed seemed to be a horribly unfair end.  She wanted to cry out that she was going to last the night and she was going to last a whole bunch of other nights too, damn it!

"That's the spirit, young lady."

Lina smiled.  Xellos's warm breath was tickling her ear.  He was apparently whispering.  Had the others left her alone?

"Gourry's here.  He's asleep," Xellos explained.  "You've worn everyone out with your antics.  I expect that pleases you."  He sighed.  "But that's not important right now.  Rest.  You're quite tired and rest would be lovely, wouldn't it?  Eternal sleep and an end to your pain.  As nice as it sounds, I think you want to stay with us a while longer, don't you?"

Lina struggled to nod, but found her body unwilling to comply with her wishes.  Secretly fearing that Xellos would see her lack of response and leave her for dead, she silently pleaded for him to stay with her.

"No need to shout.  I can hear you, Lina."

Lina felt momentary pressure on her chest and then gasped as a wave of coolness suddenly permeated every part of her body.  At that moment, she was incredibly grateful for the blanket.  The cooling sensation was the antithesis of the sick burning she had felt earlier.  When it faded, she found the world a little more comfortable and darkness a little less sinister than it had been before.  Somehow, she knew that the worst was over and it was only a matter of time before she healed.

"You sacrificed a lot, Lina.  I suspect that you won't understand just how much you've lost for quite a long time."  

Lina felt Xellos gently stroke her cheek as he spoke, dispelling the apprehension that she was feeling about his words.

"However, those are concerns for another day.  You're body will mend now.  As will your spirit.  It'll take time, but I expect that you will become something akin to what you were before."  

Lina vaguely remembered hearing Xellos's voice in the void between worlds.  She wondered if he had really been there with her.

Xellos chuckled and said, "That is-"

Lina swore silently.

"All right, Lina," Xellos said with a sigh.  There was the sound of wood scraping across the floor and a sigh as the old priest sat down beside the bed.  "You really shouldn't swear at me.  I am a priest you know.  Where you picked up words like that, I'll never know.  Why in my day-"

Lina sighed impatiently.

Xellos chuckled again.  "I don't know why you're so upset.  It's not like you have anywhere to go, you know."  He hesitated for a moment before saying, "You're right.  I was with you."

Lina did a mental victory dance.  She had been right after all.  But that brought up an unpleasant thought.  If Xellos had been there, how much had she really accomplished on her own?  Had he saved her from Zelas?  

"Oh, you needn't worry about that, young lady!" Xellos said.  Lina felt him squeeze her hand reassuringly as he continued.  "Everything you accomplished, was your triumph and yours alone.  You saved yourself from the Beast.  I had nothing to do with that."

Lina gave herself a mental kick.  She'd been stupid to fall for Zelas's trick to begin with.  It was an amateur's mistake and one she was sure that Luna would have laughed at.

"That is something that you'll never know," Xellos said sternly.  "You're not your sister and I fear you'll never be happy until you realize that."

Lina mulled over this bit of advice for a short while before setting it aside in favor of asking the priest more questions.  He was being unusually forthright tonight.  Or was it daytime?  It was dark.  That was all that mattered.  The Sword of Light, she thought.  He had to have been lying about that.  She'd never been able to use it before.

"Lina, that's rude," Xellos scolded.  "I've never lied to you.  You used the Sword of Light.  What were you thinking when you fought Hellmaster?"

Lina struggled to remember.  She'd been thinking about dying, but it hadn't really mattered, had it?  All that mattered was making sure that Sylphiel and Phibrizzo were saved.

"Purer, more selfless thoughts, I've never heard," Xellos said.  "You did very well and I am extremely proud of you, child."

Lina smiled as she felt the priest's soft lips brush against her forehead.  

A moment later, Xellos lovingly mussed her hair and said, "Rest now.  You need your strength.  There's still so much work ahead of you."

Lina wanted to ask what the priest meant, and more importantly, who or what he really was, but she decided that it wasn't really that important.  Somehow he had helped her, and now she was on the mend.  She went from her near conscious state back to the darkness.  

It was a different kind of darkness though.  Instead of the feeling of being dead to the world, it was comforting, almost like a warm nest.  Lina curled up in this pleasant place and, sighing contentedly, went about the process of healing.

************************************************************************

There was a tickling sensation, cool droplets on her face.  Lina giggled as the liquid rolled down her chin onto her throat.  "Tickles," she murmured.

"Did you say something, Miss?" a soft voice cautiously inquired.

Lina nodded sleepily.  "I said it tickles."  She yawned long and loud, and slowly opened her eyes.  "Feels like I've been sleeping forever," she commented.  A moment later she shrieked in terror.  "Hellmaster!"

Phibrizzo screamed in return and dropped the bowl of water he had been holding.  It hit the floor and shattered, doing little to calm the situation down.  The child ran from the room screaming, "Help!  Sylphy, she's gone crazy!"

A moment later, Sylphiel was standing in the doorway with the terrified Phibrizzo cowering behind her.  "Miss Lina!" she exclaimed happily.

Lina ceased her screaming and blinked in surprise.  "Sylphiel?"  She carefully scrutinized the boy trying to hide behind her.  "And Phibrizzo?"  She grinned hesitantly.  "So you guys made it, huh?"

"That's what I was about to say," Sylphiel replied as she entered the room.  "We thought that we were going to lose you, Miss Lina."

"Lose me?" Lina repeated curiously.  She struggled to recall the events of the last couple days.  She'd beaten Hellmaster and then… nothing.  Looking around at the familiar surroundings of Sylphiel's clinic, she asked, "How did I get here?"

"Gourry found you in the rubble," Sylphiel said as she began the process of poking and prodding at Lina's injuries.  "Arms up, please," she instructed.

Lina complied and asked, "Where is Gourry?" as she looked around the room.  She was more than a little hurt that the swordsman hadn't been there when she woke up.

Sylphiel smiled secretively as she examined Lina's injured ribs.  She giggled and said, "He didn't want to leave, but he's been very busy.  I expect that he'll be back tonight."  Before her patient could ask what she meant, she said, "Oh!  I almost forgot!  There's someone else that wanted to see you."  She turned towards the doorway and cheerfully called, "Come on in!"

Phibrizzo nervously peeked around the corner into the room and shyly asked, "Is she okay now?"

Sylphiel nodded.  "She's fine.  You just startled each other a bit.  Come on in and say hello!"

Lina watched as Phibrizzo hesitantly entered the room.  The differences between him and Hellmaster were remarkable.  The child carried himself with none of the wicked arrogance of the Hellmaster and his eyes darted around the room nervously.  He almost tripped over a stool as he made his way over to the bed.  He was a normal boy, prone to all the clumsy accidents and insecurities associated with being ten.

Lina chuckled happily as she watched Phibrizzo approach.

Phibrizzo glanced at Sylphiel, looking for reassurance as he stopped well out of Lina's reach.  "Hello," he said almost inaudibly.

"Hello yourself," Lina said with a large grin.

"I remember you," Phibrizzo said a moment later.  "You're the lady that stabbed me in the arm, right?"

Sylphiel gasped in shock.  "Miss Lina!  You stabbed poor Phibrizzo?"

"Oh," Lina said stupidly.  Well, she hadn't really expected that.  She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as she said, "Well, yeah, but there were extenuating circumstances and-"

"It's okay, Sylphy.  She helped me wake up."  Phibrizzo darted forward and flung his arms around Lina.  "Thank you, Miss."

"Phibrizzo!" Sylphiel said fearfully.  She hadn't expected him to grab Lina like that.  He might have aggravated the Slayer's injuries, or…

Lina laughed and returned Phibrizzo's hug.  "Hey, no problem, kid.  It was nothing."  She mussed his hair affectionately and looked up to see Sylphiel staring down at her dumbstruck.  "What?" she asked, oblivious to the healer's concerns.

Sylphiel asked, "Doesn't that hurt?"

"What, this?" Lina said, nodding at Phibrizzo, who was still tightly latched to her torso.  She joked, "The kid's got a strong grip, but it's nothing that I can't handle."

Sylphiel smiled, more than a little confused, but pleased nonetheless.

***********************************************************************.  

Lina thoughtfully looked out the window at the setting sun.  She was absentmindedly picking at a bowl of cold stew that Sylphiel had brought her an hour ago.  "Hey Zel," she said quietly without turning from the window.  "How are you doing?"

Zelgadis lingered in the growing shadows of the doorway a moment longer, scrutinizing Lina.  She was healing far more quickly than he would have ever expected.  It was unexplainable and nothing vexed him more than that which couldn't be explained.  He scowled darkly as he shifted a long package from under one arm to the other.

"Well, are you just going to stand there all night?" Lina asked with a quiet laugh.  "Come in and sit down."  She turned to look at Zelgadis as he made his way through the room.  He was clad in a crimson outfit with an elaborate cloak trimmed in gold.  "Aw, you dressed up for me?" she said with a playful wink.

Zelgadis snorted as he sat down beside the bed.  "Lina," he said smugly, "contrary to what you seem to believe, the whole world doesn't revolve around you.  I have another engagement this evening that I'm already late for."

"But you still came to see me," Lina said gratefully.  "Thanks Zel."

Zelgadis coughed embarrassedly.  "Whatever.  I only stopped by to return this to you."  He tossed a long parcel wrapped in white paper and bound with golden cord onto the bed beside Lina.

Lina looked down at the package and then back at Zelgadis with a large smile forming on her face.  "You brought me a present.  I like presents."

"It's not like that," Zelgadis grumbled.  "Like I said, I'm just returning it to you."

"Even your cheerful attitude can't get me down tonight, Zel," Lina said jokingly.  

Zelgadis smiled and was about to say something when a fierce pain suddenly struck him between his shoulders.  His eyes bugged out and he frantically began to claw at his back.

"You okay, Zel?" Lina asked concernedly, the package momentarily forgotten.

"Fine!" Zelgadis spat through clenched teeth.  "I'm fine!"  The sudden pain ended as abruptly as it had begun and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You sure?"

Zelgadis nodded and pointed at the package, indicating that Lina should go ahead and open it.

"Well, if you say so," Lina said reluctantly.  A moment later, Zelgadis's strange actions were forgotten in favor of a far more pressing question.  She eagerly asked, "What is it?" as she fumbled to undo the knot in the cord.

Zelgadis rolled his eyes and said, "If you ever got it open, you'd see."  Another few moments of fumbling brought him to the end of his patience.  "Oh, here," he growled as he effortlessly undid the knot for Lina.

Lina gasped at what was revealed in the paper.  A familiar sword encased in a beautiful black leather scabbard lay in her lap.  An incredibly lifelike image of the Flare Dragon, stitched in threads of gold and silver, wrapped around the length of the sheath.  "Oh, Zel…" she whispered breathlessly, hardly able to believe what she was seeing.

"Well, take a look at the sword," Zelgadis muttered.  "I didn't pay an arm and a leg for you to drool over it you know."

Lina slowly drew the sword.  There was a quiet hiss as it the silver blade emerged from the well-oiled sheath.  "This is Sis's sword," Lina said, her voice quivering with emotion.  In a way, she was right, but it was so much more than that.

A master craftsman had repaired the blade with such care that Lina could have sworn that it had never been broken.  Skillfully etched in the silver was an uncannily accurate depiction of Lina standing triumphantly over the body of a fallen demon.

Lina looked at Zelgadis gratefully.  Her voice quivered with barely contained emotion as she asked, "Where'd you get this?"  She vaguely remembered something about it being broken, but now…

"It was lying next to you when Gourry found you," Zelgadis explained.  "Well, flip it over and look at the inscription," he said with the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

Her eyes brimming over with tears, Lina flipped the blade over to see if the familiar initials had been saved.  Sadly, the smith had not been able to recover them when he repaired the blade, but "Lina Inverse" was written in bold, yet graceful letters along the length of the blade.  "Zel?" she whispered.

"What?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously, as he recoiled slightly.  The last thing he needed was for an overly emotional woman to latch onto him.

"What's it say right there?" Lina asked as she pointed to her name.  She sniffled and wiped her eyes.  "I can't read it."

Zelgadis sighed and leaned in to point to the letters.  "It has your name on it, Lina.  See?"  He looked over to see her grinning at him mischievously through her tears.  "Oh no," he groaned, realizing that he had fallen into her carefully laid trap.

Lina glomped onto Zelgadis's neck and enthusiastically bellowed, "Thank you, Zel!" directly into his ear, almost deafening the hapless man.   Just when he thought that the situation couldn't get any more embarrassing, she leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek.  

"Oh, come on now!" Zelgadis loudly protested as he struggled to disentangle himself from the girl's embrace.  After freeing himself, he beat a hasty retreat until he was safely out of grabbing distance of the bed.  He made a show of straightening his slightly wrinkled clothes and grumbled darkly about "clingy women" and "getting the wrong idea".

Lina winked at Zelgadis and stuck out her tongue cutely.  "Thank you, Zel," she said in a syrupy sweet tone.

Zelgadis flushed bright red and muttered a "You're welcome," as he turned to leave.  Just as he was about to go through the door, he paused and turned back to look at Lina, marveling at what the girl was.  She giggled happily as she scrutinized every inch of the blade, very much resembling a child with a new toy.  In spite of the fact that she acted incredibly immature at times, she was one of the most talented people that he had ever met.  "Lina?" he said quietly.

"Huh?" was Lina's intelligent response.

"You're one in a million.  You know that don't you?"

In answer, a cocky grin flashed across the redhead's face.

Zelgadis rolled his eyes and left the room.  She knew.  Ceiphied help him, he had just thrown more fuel onto the raging inferno that was Lina's ego.

************************************************************************

"It's beautiful, Miss Lina!" Amelia squealed as she admired Lina's new sword.  

"Isn't it?" Lina said excitedly as she pointed out some minute detail on the blade that only a connoisseur of such things would appreciate.

Amelia nodded in agreement as if she actually knew the difference between a rapier and a foil.  "Mr. Zelgadis said that he hoped that you'd like it."

Lina grinned.  "He did, did he?"  Maybe there was more to Zel than gloom and doom after all.  She reverently set the sword on the nightstand and turned back to face Amelia.  "So," she said as she stifled a yawn, "What'd I miss while I was asleep?"

"Oh, there's been so much going on," Amelia muttered while scratching her head.  "Where should I start?"  Her face lit up and she exclaimed, "Miss Martina got married!"  

"Oh, she did?" Lina said with somewhat less enthusiasm than Amelia.  Martina had slapped that dark prophesy on her head, after all.

Amelia sighed blissfully and said, "She looked so beautiful in her gown.  And the groom…" She grimaced at the memory of Zangulus being dragged kicking and screaming to the altar.  "Well, he was excited too!"  

Lina looked at Amelia confusedly.  "He was?  Hmm, he must be a pretty brave guy."

Amelia quickly changed the subject.  "And would you believe that the government has already opened the coffers to help rebuild Sairaag?  Everything looks almost as good as new!  High Priest Rezo truly is a kind and just man."  

"That's nice," Lina said.  She cleared her throat and said, "So… what's Gourry been up to?"

"Mister Gourry?  You won't believe what he's done!  He's-"  She suddenly caught herself, remembering that she wasn't supposed to talk about Gourry's project.

Lina raised an inquisitive eyebrow.  "Yeah?  Gourry's done what?"

Amelia quickly shifted gears.  "Did you know that there were only a few casualties in the fight against Hellmaster?  It really was a miracle."  She looked at Lina adoringly and said, "You saved so many lives, Miss Lina!"

"All in a day's work," Lina boasted.  She noted that Amelia was staring at her with an awed expression upon her face.  She shivered unconsciously and muttered, "Um, Amelia?  Are you okay?"  The girl was acting weird all of a sudden.

"Miss Lina, there's something that I have to ask you," Amelia said nervously.  She knelt down beside the bed and clasped Lina's hand in her own.  "You're so strong, kindhearted, and brave."  

Lina couldn't do anything except chuckle nervously.  She scooted away from the acrobat, trying to surreptitiously reclaim her captive hand.  She didn't know where this little speech was headed, but she was sure that it couldn't end well.  "Um, Amelia…?" she said apprehensively.

Amelia leaned in close to Lina and whispered, "Miss Lina, I've thought about this a long time and I have to know."  She cleared her throat and asked, "Would you do me the great honor…"

Lina stared at Amelia helplessly, like a deer caught in a hunter's snare.  She'd just figured out where this was going.  She'd never suspected that Amelia felt that way about her.  She swallowed nervously and briefly wondered if she was back in Hell.

Amelia stammered, "Miss Lina, will… will you teach me to be a Slayer?"

"Nooooooooooo!" Lina shrieked hopelessly.  "I don't wanna be your girlfriend!"  She blinked confusedly, just then realizing what Amelia had asked her.  "I'm sorry," she chuckled.  "Could you repeat that?"

Amelia stared at Lina with her mouth agape.  She'd never suspected that Lina was a pervert.  She stammered, "I… I said… I, well, uh…"

"Hey, you're finally awake!"

Lina and Amelia looked up, grateful for the distraction.  

Gourry was standing in the doorway grinning broadly.

Amelia smiled at Lina knowingly and said, "Well, I'm sure that I have something important to do.  I'll talk to you later Miss Lina.  Bye!"  She stood up and skipped happily out the door.

"H-Hey!" Lina stammered.  "Amelia!  Where are you going?"

Amelia paused in the doorway and glanced back at Lina.  She nodded at Gourry, clasped her hands together over her heart, and silently mouthed the words, "Tell him."  Then she was gone.

Lina flushed bright pink and stared down at her hands, unable to look at the swordsman.  Why'd Amelia have to say that?  Now she was all flustered and besides, it was a waste of time.  Gourry had a girlf-  She yelped in surprise when she felt Gourry's hand on her forehead.  "What are you doing?!" she demanded.

"Just checking your temperature," Gourry said helpfully.  "You looked really red there for a minute and I was wondering if your fever was coming back.  You seem okay though."

"Oh, uh, that's good, I guess." Lina said while stealing a sidelong glance at the swordsman.  He was smiling at her and she turned even redder than before.

Gourry frowned as he stared at Lina's face.  "It's happening again.  Maybe I should go get Sylphiel," he said as he started to stand.

"No!" Lina said, impulsively reaching out to grab onto Gourry's wrist.  "I-I'm fine.  I'm just a little hot, that's all."  She suddenly shivered, realizing that the room was actually a bit chilly for her tastes.

Gourry watched in bewilderment as Lina pulled the blanket up to her chin.  "I thought you said that you were hot?" he said while scratching his head.  "You're acting pretty weird, Lina.  Are you sure that you're alright?"

Lina rolled her eyes and said, "I told you that I'm fine!"  Quickly changing the subject, she said, "Amelia said that you've been busy."  She teasingly said, "How are you supposed to protect me if you're busy working on a secret project?"  She immediately regretted her words when she saw the hurt look on Gourry's face.  Yeesh, she'd only meant it as a joke.

Gourry nodded and said, "You're right, Lina.  I should have been with you every step of the way.  Then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Aw, don't worry about it Gourry," Lina said reassuringly.  She thought of her scars and said, "I get hurt all the time."  She chuckled and said, "It's just one of the perks of the job."

Gourry didn't laugh.  "Well, you shouldn't.  We thought that we were going to lose you.  After the first week, you got really sick.  Sylphiel was sure that you were going to…"  He swallowed hard and reluctantly continued, "To die."

Lina's smile faded.  "How long was I out?"

"Almost a month."

"A month?!" Lina repeated incredulously.

Gourry nodded.  "It was terrible, Lina.  You were saying things the whole time."

"What… what did I say, Gourry?" Lina said, not quite sure that she wanted to know.

"Something about a beast and being used.  You talked about how that Hellmaster guy hurt you.  You called my name a lot."

"I did?"

"Yeah," Gourry said in a quavering voice.  "And I tried to tell you that I was with you, but you didn't hear me."  He clenched his fists tightly and blurted, "But I was, Lina!  I promise that I was!"

"Oh Gourry," Lina whispered.  It really had been bad for him.  She tentatively reached out and embraced the swordsman.  A moment later, she felt his strong arms encircle her waist and pull her closer to him.  Her eyes widened in surprise and she tensed up briefly.  There was a nagging sense of unpleasant familiarity about the situation.  Shoving her apprehensive feelings roughly aside, she sighed and cautiously allowed herself to melt into his embrace.  It was nice, the sense of closeness that she felt with him, both physically and emotionally. "I know that you were there," she said.  "I heard you."

They stayed that way for a moment, awkwardly trying to comfort one another as best they could.  

Gourry pulled back from Lina briefly to look into her eyes.  "You did?"

Lina nodded slowly, losing herself in Gourry's eyes.  She'd never been this close to him before and she took the opportunity to take in every detail of the handsome swordsman's visage.  His strong jaw, his beautiful blue eyes, the flaxen hair that partially concealed his face, making him look all the more mysterious and appealing.  Before she knew what was happening, she was leaning towards him, her lips parted ever so slightly.

Just as their lips brushed against each other, Lina fancied that she heard Zelas's cruel chuckle and she panicked.  It was just like that other time.  The handsome blond man, the warm embrace, the promise of love, everything was just as it had been before.  But, the last time had been a lie and that wound was still horribly raw.  How could she be sure that this time would be any different?  She yelled, "No!" and forcefully shoved Gourry away.

Gourry was quite startled by this unexpected development and stumbled backwards, tripping over the stool as he went.  He flailed his arms for balance and caught the tray that Lina's dinner had been on, sending the cold stew sailing through the air.

Sylphiel and Amelia entered the room with concerned looks on their faces.  

Amelia asked, "What happened?  We heard a crash and-oh."  She saw Gourry sitting on the floor wearing the contents of Lina's bowl on his head.  

As for Lina, she was sitting on the far corner of the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest.  She glanced at Gourry apprehensively and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Sylphiel gave Gourry a questioning look.  "Gourry dear, what did you do?"

Gourry picked a bit of potato out of his hair as he stammered, "I-I didn't do anything!  I was just sitting here and…"  He shrugged and said, "Tell them, Lina!"

Lina slowly stretched out and lay back down under the blanket.  She turned away from Gourry and apologetically asked, "Could you please leave?  I… I need to think about some things."

"But, I thought that you didn't like being alone at night?"

"I'll be fine, Gourry.  Just go away.  Please?" Lina said unhappily.

Gourry looked up at Sylphiel and Amelia helplessly.

Amelia shrugged, not knowing what to tell him, and quietly motioned for Gourry to leave the room.

Gourry looked as if he was seriously considering denying Lina's request.  After all, she needed him, right?  Didn't she know that?  She'd called his name while she was in the grip of the fever and now that she was finally awake she was sending him away?  It wasn't right.  He opened his mouth to say so when Sylphiel put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.  Sparing Lina one last hurt glance, he relented and left the room with the girls.

Lina listened for the quiet click of the latch on the door before breaking down into tears of frustration.  She pounded on her pillow angrily, trying to transfer some of the hurt she was feeling to the feathery cushion.  She didn't want to be alone in the dark, but she didn't want Gourry around either.  On the other hand, she found that she wanted nothing more than to be with him, so the entire situation was terribly confusing.

Xellos watched Lina through the window from his perch on a low hanging tree branch across the street.  He shook his head sadly and whispered, "You'll figure things out, child.  It's going to take a little time, but your heart will mend."  He didn't sound very sure of himself though.

Unseen by the priest, another figure also observed Lina from the shadows of an alley.  Cloaked in white, the being almost looked like a ghost.  It cast no shadow and its cloak didn't stir when the wind picked up, as it inevitably did when Xellos came and went.  Unmoving, the figure seemed content to watch Lina mangle her pillow.  Sometime after the Slayer slept, the figure departed.

************************************************************************

Zelgadis stood on the staircase in front of the capital building.  The statue of the Flare Dragon towered over his head.  He looked at it thoughtfully and murmured, "To think that the darkest shadows are cast by the brightest lights."

"I beg your pardon?  Did you say something master?"

"Just musing, Zolf."  Zelgadis turned to see his trusted servant looking quite uncomfortable in the lavish outfit that he was wearing.  He was a scholar, not an aristocrat and obviously felt out of place at this event.  

Zelgadis smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have dragged you into this."

Zolf shook his head and said, "Don't be, Lord Greywords.  I wouldn't risk allowing anyone else stand at your side.  It'd be too easy for them to slide a knife between your ribs."

Chuckling quietly, Zelgadis said,  "I appreciate it."  His expression darkened as he scanned the group of politicians that had gathered in the dead of night.  Any one of them would be pleased to hear of his untimely death.  "I'm glad that I'm not alone in this den of vipers."

Zolf groaned quietly and whispered in Zelgadis's ear, "Speaking of vipers, take a look at who's heading this way."

Quickly glancing up, Zelgadis scowled.  "Tarimu," he hissed unpleasantly as if the man's name were a curse.

Tarimu was a short heavyset man who didn't so much walk in Zelgadis's direction as he waddled.  He insisted on wearing clothes that were several sizes too small, an unfortunate result of his misconception that he was a slim man.  A foul odor hung about him, as he was always sweating from the exertion required by breathing.  His ugly baldhead glistened faintly in the torchlight.  At all times, he wore an unpleasant smile, taking pleasure in the discomfort of others.

There was no doubt in Zelgadis's mind that this fat toad was going fall over dead in a lobster dinner some evening when his overworked heart finally decided that it had had enough.  He just wished that it would happen sooner.

If possible, Tarimu's obnoxious grin broadened when he noticed that Zelgadis was eyeing him unpleasantly.  Unperturbed, he picked up his pace, moving at an irritatingly slow crawl until he was next to Zelgadis.  He thrust his sweat-slicked hand out as he bellowed, "A fine evening, eh Greywords?"  He intentionally refrained from using Zelgadis's title.

Zelgadis looked at Tarimu's hand distastefully until the bureaucrat got the hint and withdrew it.  He sighed resignedly and said, "What do you want Tarimu?"

"Why, only to see how you were doing on this fine evening!" the obnoxious minister exclaimed too loudly.  The rest of the city officials turned to watch the exchange with interest.  "It's been so long since you attended an official function that some of us were beginning to wonder if you'd died!"  He laughed at his own joke, snorting every now and again.

Zelgadis felt Zolf bristle beside him and held up a cautionary hand.  He looked at Tarimu and imagined how the man would look after being dropped from the top of the capital building.  This helped his mood immensely and he actually smiled when he said, "No such luck."

Getting his irritating laugh under control, Tarimu glanced around suspiciously before speaking in what he considered to be a whisper.  That meant that one had to be within ten feet of the foul little man to hear what he was saying.  "Actually, I was wondering why the High Priest was visiting Sairaag.  He so rarely leaves the capital city, you know."

Zelgadis shrugged.  "His business is his own."

"That's odd," Tarimu said with a sneer.  "Because I had heard that with the unfortunate events of late, Rezo was visiting to evaluate the leadership of the city."

A withering glare from Zelgadis did little to dampen the minister's mirth.  So, that was it.  The sharks smelled blood in the water and were already jockeying for his position.  "I suspect," he said in a cold tone, "that you should ask the High Priest himself of such matters.  I'm sure that he would be glad to hear of your concern.  Shall I arrange a meeting for you?"

"That won't be necessary," Tarimu said, matching Zelgadis's tone.  "I expect that my loyal service is appreciated enough that I can arrange my own meeting with Rezo."

"Suit yourself," Zelgadis spat.  A tug on his sleeve drew his attention to Zolf.  "Hmm?"

With an apprehensive look on his face, Zolf nodded at something in the street.  "He's coming," he said quietly.  There was a strange sense of finality in the way that he stated it.

Zelgadis turned to see a jet-black coach drawn by horses of a similar color emerge from the mist.  He glanced around at the assembled ministers and nodded.

In unison, they all dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.

Zelgadis heard a grunt and the angry sound of tearing fabric as Tarimu struggled to kneel.  His face betrayed his mirth for an instant before falling back into stony indifference.

The clopping of the horses' hooves stopped just outside the gate and there was a quiet squeak as the well-oiled carriage door swung open.  Quiet footsteps on the steps followed by a loud clack of boots on the cobblestones, preceded the heavier footsteps of the High Priest himself.

Deciding to risk a bit of impertinence, Zelgadis looked up, curious to see who Rezo's traveling companion was.  His blood chilled briefly when he recognized the icy beauty that was Eris.  He stole a sidelong glance at Zolf who had tensed up.  He had seen too.  Was Rezo on to their plan?

Eris was the highest-ranking Slayer in the church.  In addition to that honor, she also held the unofficial position of being Rezo's master assassin.  After all, even the church had nuisances that would occasionally need to be discreetly disposed of.  Her presence could only mean that Rezo suspected something.

And then the High Priest himself stepped out onto the damp cobblestones.  He struck the ground forcefully with the end of his staff, producing a small spark and a musical clang that split the night.

Rezo was an imposing man, standing well over six feet tall with broad shoulders.  He'd once been a warrior and a peaceful life of piety had done little to diminish his physical stature.  He stood tall and proud, but in his robes of the purest white somehow managed to give off an air of modesty at the same time.  His facial features seemed to be carved from the purest alabaster and were similar to Zelgadis's, but not so much that one would assume that the two were related.  He wore his silvery hair in a style similar to his son's, but more subdued at the same time.  The most striking feature about the priest was his cold gray eyes, constantly scanning the area, never missing a detail.  

Eris's sharp eyes caught Zelgadis's look of unease and she smiled coldly.  "Your son doesn't look pleased to see us, my love," she whispered into the High Priest's ear.

The corners of Rezo's mouth turned up in the slightest hint of a smile.  Other than that, he gave no indication that he had heard Eris's words.  He strode forward, pausing when he was within a few feet of the assembled ministers.  "Loyal servants of Ceiphied," he said quietly, with just a hint of a foreign accent.  "You honor me far more than I deserve."

"Not at all," Zelgadis said as he reached out to take Rezo's hand.  He kissed it and said, "Only the Flare Dragon Himself shines brighter than the High Priest."

Rezo looked down at Zelgadis with an unreadable expression on his face before walking past him towards the entrance to the capital building.  His staff rang out repeatedly as he moved along.

Zelgadis and Zolf shared a nervous glance before standing.  They, along with the rest of the officials, fell into step a dozen feet behind the High Priest.  Only Eris walked beside Rezo, disregarding the edict that stated that only those of similar station were allowed to stand on equal footing with the High Priest.

"Lord Greywords," Rezo said quietly.

"Sir?" Zelgadis said.

Without looking over his shoulder, Rezo beckoned him forward.  "Walk with me.  I would have words with you."

Zelgadis nodded and quickened his pace until he was a single step behind the priest.

"Son, would you care to explain what has been going on?" Rezo said.  He spared Zelgadis a glance.

Zelgadis recoiled from that gaze.  There was a barely contained fury hidden behind those slate eyes.  "I'm afraid that I don't understand your meaning, father."

"No?" Rezo said with the slightest hint of a chuckle.

"No," Zelgadis replied, trying to sound forceful.  Rezo had cowed him for most of his life and he greatly resented the priest for it.

"I find that to be very strange, don't you Eris?"

Eris nodded and said, "Very strange indeed, my love."

"Because when I gave you control of Sairaag, I had this bizarre notion that you might actually manage it with some small amount of competence."  Rezo sighed and shook his head.  "Alas, it seems that talent skips a generation now and again.  Let me break my question down, son.  First of all, can you tell me how you managed to get Dilgear killed?"

"That wasn't my fault," Zelgadis growled angrily.  "He was a buffoon, father."

"Granted, but he was a very expensive and loyal buffoon.  Which leads me to my next question.  Who killed Dilgear?"

"A rogue Slayer," Zelgadis said quietly.

"A rogue Slayer!" Rezo repeated to Eris in a tone of mock surprise.  "Such things happen from time to time, or so I'm told.  I assume, of course, that this Slayer was dealt with accordingly?"  

"N-No, father," Zelgadis reluctantly admitted.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?  But, I'm a forgiving man.  People are occasionally prone to foolish errors."  He glared at his son again.  "And the Hellmaster situation?  Can you explain that to me?"

"That was dealt with," Zelgadis said through clenched teeth.

Rezo snorted quietly and paused at the bottom of the stairs leading to the top of the tower.  He turned to face the rest of the officials and said, "My friends, I'm quite weary from my long journey, so I will bid you all a fond good evening.  I do hope to meet with each of you in the days ahead to discuss your services to the city."

The ministers bowed low and turned to leave.  

Zelgadis turned to follow them, but was restrained by a hand on his shoulder.

Rezo said, "We weren't done talking, my son.  Come along.  Be a good host and see me to my chambers."  He turned and made his way up the staircase with Eris and Zelgadis in tow.  "You say that the Hellmaster was dealt with.  That is obvious.  If he hadn't been, we wouldn't be having this conversation now, would we?"

"No, father."

"Which of our brave and selfless Slayers banished Hellmaster back to his realm?  I would dearly like to reward such an individual."

"It was…" Zelgadis hesitated before continuing, "A rogue Slayer."

"Another rogue!" Rezo chuckled.  "Now isn't that an amazing coincidence?  Now I'm quite sure that this second rogue was dealt with.  Rules are rules, after all and I know that you're not inept enough to make the same mistake twice."

"No, she… she slipped away before she could be eliminated."

Rezo took a deep breath and nodded resignedly.  "As I expected."  He turned to Zelgadis and asked, "Her name.  It's Inverse, isn't it?"

Zelgadis's breath caught in his throat.  Rezo knew.  He'd probably known all along.  The only question left was whether or not his father would spare his life.

Rezo smiled coldly at Zelgadis's reaction.  "You have much to fear, son.  Nothing escapes my attention."  He pulled a well-read letter from within his pocket and held it up for Zelgadis's inspection.  "For instance, I know that Lina Inverse is guilty of killing two Slayers.  I also know that you've been plotting with this woman.  A letter from one of my more trustworthy servants implicates you."

Zelgadis stared at the letter, his mouth agape.  Who?  Who had known?

"Vrumugun.  Head of the Slayers of Sairaag," Rezo answered as if reading Zelgadis's mind.  "Tragically, he disappeared shortly after sending me this letter.  So sad.  But, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Zelgadis shook his head mutely.

"How strange," Rezo mused.  "To think that I, who have not visited Sairaag in half a decade, would know more about its happenings than the man governing it."  He shot Zelgadis an angry glance.  "You may cease your cowering.  If I'd wanted you dead, you wouldn't have lived to see me enter the city.  No, son.  Because I have no idea of what you and Inverse were conspiring to do, I will spare your life.  However," he added with an evil grin, "I don't want you to be tempted to do anything rash.  This Slayer seems to be a bad influence on you.  Therefore, I will do you the favor of disposing of her.  Out of sight, out of mind, after all."

"I'm already working on it, my love," Eris said with a wolfish smile.

Zelgadis scowled.  He hadn't meant for Rezo to learn about Lina this soon, but he'd planned for him to find out sooner or later.  What he hadn't planned on was his father drawing a connection between him and Lina, but that could be remedied.  

Lina was playing her role exceptionally well.  She was a decoy.  While she drew Rezo's attention, Zelgadis would wait for a moment of weakness on the High Priest's part and put an end to him.  Deceptively simple.  The slightest mistake on his part would result in his swift death.  So, he'd bide his time and wait.  After all, even Rezo could make mistakes.  

But, if everything was going so going so well, Zelgadis thought glumly, why'd he feel so bad about it?

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Next Chapter:  An invitation

Notes:  Hello, and welcome back everyone!  I guess that vacation from the story wasn't quite as long as I had expected.  Not even a vacation, really.  I've been working on just as much as before.

As my dear beta reader kindly pointed out to me, the Hellmaster arc was lacking a little in the resolution department, but it is only a small part of the bigger story so I hope that I can be forgiven for plunging right into the next portion of the plot.

Reviewer Response:

Otaku girl, I had the same problem when I wrote my first fic.  I was terrified that it would be ridiculed, but my first review said, and I quote:  "This was very well written, and cheered me up immensely."  If I'd gotten a bad review, I think that I would have never gone on to write anything else.  Thankfully, most people are quite kind, so keep that in mind when you wonder whether or not to share your work with the world.

Hello Miss Gabriev!  Glad you enjoyed the chapter.  How're the fics coming?

Dragonet, expect to see a little more about Xellos revealed in the next arc.  He won't be featured as prominently, but there will be a little more insight as to who he is.

Pogo, why does everyone think that there's something unusual or *gasp* sinister about poor Xellos?  He's nothing more than a mysterious priest.  Leave the poor guy alone.  

Stara, I did enjoy writing that bit of banter.  It was one of the highlights of the chapter for me.

Thanks Pogo, for your fine betaing!


	22. False goodbyes

Happy Holidays, everyone!  On the advice of Otaku Girl (something she suggested a month ago), I've decided to post an extra chapter this week.  Hope you enjoy it.

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In the hours just after midnight when every sane person would be comfortably asleep, a single candle burned in a window, betraying the fact that Sairaag's residents weren't all totally sane.

Inside the dimly lit chamber, tomes of all shapes and sizes were scattered haphazardly about.  Most pertained to the subject of anatomy or surgery.  In one corner of the room, a squalid little pallet, it's sheets yellow with neglect, gathered flies.  The center of the room was taken up by a large worktable.  

Painted on the surface of the bench were several rust brown marks indicating that a spell of preservation had been cast upon it.  Decay would never touch anything lying on the table.  Strewn out along the surface of the bench were cruel looking cutting tools, their edges marred by rust, but sharp nonetheless.  A half eaten plate of chicken lay on one corner.  A large black rat nibbled at a drumstick until a gore stained hand shooed it away.  

The owner of the hand picked up a drumstick and munched on it while muttering, "And the knee bone is connected to the hip bone.  No wait, that isn't right…"  The stout little man with wild hair and a bushy gray beard paused in his work to scratch his head confusedly.  His arms were coated in gore up to the elbows, which resulted in his leaving a red streak in his already dirty hair.  "Damn it all," he muttered darkly, "this isn't going at all how I expected."

The project that he was referring to was a cadaver that was lying on the bench before him.  It's body had been cut open from throat to abdomen and the old man was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to add a second heart to the chest cavity.

"Now, you would expect something like this to work," he mused as he referenced one of his myriad medical tomes.  "You would think that if one heart is good, two would be better, wouldn't you?" he asked the corpse.

Vrumugun's pale lifeless face stared at the mad surgeon.

"I just don't get it.  At this rate my super Slayer will never be finished," he said as he went to sit down on the cot.  Something crinkled as he lowered his weight onto it.  "Hello, what's this?" he said, pulling Vrumugun's cloak out from under himself.  He vaguely remembered tossing it in the corner after stripping it off the body.

A sheaf of papers fell out of a pocket and scattered along the floor.

"Hmm," the surgeon mused as he picked the pages up.  "Official reports, how dull," he said in a disappointed tone.  He was about to drop the pages on the floor when something caught his eye.  "A rogue Slayer," he muttered.  Rogues were supposed to be put to death anyway, so there wouldn't be much of an uproar if one were to suddenly vanish.  "And who is this rogue?" he asked as he turned the page over.  "Lina Inverse.  Hmm, where have I heard the name of Inverse before?"  He looked up thoughtfully as he stroked his beard.  "Of course!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up, "Luna Inverse!  One of the most talented servants of the church!  This rogue must be related to her in some way and if she has half the talent of Luna, she'd make a fine addition to my project!"  The man began to cackle madly and danced around the room.  "Now there's just the small matter of finding her…"

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Lina looked at her travel worn clothes laid out on the bed.  "Hmm, do I want to wear the burgundy outfit?"  She grimaced as she held up Sylphiel's shirt.  "Or the kitten print?"  She tapped her cheek thoughtfully and muttered, "Decisions, decisions," with a playful grin on her face.

A moment later, the adorable pink shirt went sailing through the air and came to rest in Lina's bag atop her stuffed Zanafar doll.  She was almost done packing.

Lina tried to whistle a cheery tune as she began to get dressed.  She had never been very good at it and half of her notes came out silently or off key, but it didn't diminish her spirits a bit.  On the contrary, it seemed to bring home the fact that after so long, everything was finally back to normal again.

Buttoning up her blouse, Lina stole a quick look at herself in the mirror, marveling at the difference in her appearance.  Her once fiery locks had undergone a major change since her journey through Hell.  Chalk it up to stress, magic, or divine intervention, but now there were strands of silver intermingled with the crimson ones on her head.  She'd pouted when she first noticed the change, thinking that it made her look old, but now she actually kind of liked it.  Far from hampering her appearance, the silvery hair actually seemed to compliment her, giving her a pleasant glow that she hadn't possessed before.

Reluctantly, Lina pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail.  It seemed to diminish the lustrous effect somewhat, but it was going to be warm that day and the last thing she needed on the road was a mass of hot hair on the back of her neck.

"On the road again," Lina quietly mused as she fastened the clasp on her cape.  "It's been too long."  After an agonizing long month of bedridden recovery, she was finally ready to face the world again.  Admittedly, there was no way that she should have recovered from her injuries in a month, but she wasn't complaining.

Sitting on the bed, Lina ran a hand along her formerly broken leg thoughtfully.  Sylphiel had told her that even if she ever walked again, it would be with a pronounced limp.  The break had been pretty awful.  But now…

Lina giggled and wiggled her toes before putting on her boots.  "Life is good," she said, dismissing the dark thoughts about her health.  There was no time for that!  There was too much to see and do.

There was the sound of approaching footsteps and Sylphiel's muffled voice drifted through the door.  "Miss Lina, I was just going out to the market and was wondering if you needed anything."

Lina scowled and hastily said, "No, I'm fine!  Have a good time though!"  The last thing she needed was a lecture from Sylphiel about how she should still be in bed.  The woman was like a mother hen.  She reached out to grab her sword off the nightstand and accidentally knocked a glass onto the floor, where it loudly shattered.

"Are you all right?" Sylphiel asked concernedly.  

"I'm okay!" Lina yelled a little too loudly.  "I just broke a glass, that's all."  She groaned as the door opened.

Sylphiel entered the room, broom in hand.  "Well, I'll clean it up.  I don't want you to-"  She paused momentarily, noticing that Lina was not only out of bed against her orders, but packing her things.  "What do you think you're doing Miss Lina?" she asked, eyeing the younger girl suspiciously.

Lina put a hand behind her head and chuckled nervously.  "I thought that it was such a nice day outside that it'd be a real shame to waste it sitting in bed, so I, uh…"

Sylphiel crossed her arms angrily.  "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah," Lina said as if it should be obvious.  "I've saved the day and my work here is done, so," she said as she hefted her knapsack, "it's about time for me to be moving on.  The creatures of the night aren't going to kill themselves you know."  She smiled at Sylphiel wistfully.  "It's been fun though.  Thanks for all your help.  Bye."

Sylphiel glared as Lina guiltily skulked past her towards the door.  "I can't believe that you're not even going to say goodbye," she said after a moment.

Lina reluctantly stopped at the door and gave Sylphiel a sheepish look.  "I thought that I just did," she said quietly.

"You know what I mean, Miss Lina!" Sylphiel snapped.  "What about Mr. Zelgadis and Miss Amelia?  You're just going to walk away without saying a word to them?"

"Well yeah, that was the plan," Lina said with a hesitant nod.

You… You… I can't believe you!" Sylphiel said, throwing her arms up in frustration.

"Jeez, calm down Sylphiel," Lina muttered.  She found that she was unable to make eye contact with the healer.  "It's not that big a deal.  Zel will be glad to have me out of his hair and Amelia's so busy working at the circus that she probably won't even notice that I'm gone."  She quickly stepped out into the hallway in hopes of avoiding any more of Sylphiel's guilt trip.

"And what about Gourry dear?" Sylphiel asked, storming into the hall after Lina.  

"What about him?" Lina asked angrily.  Sylphiel was really starting to get on her nerves.

"He'll be terribly upset if you leave without talking to him."  Sylphiel smiled hopefully as an idea came to her.  "Besides, don't you want to see what he's been working on?"

"Honestly, I couldn't care less."  Lina forced a grin.  "Gourry'll be fine.  Cook him something nice for dinner and he'll forget all about me.  Anyway," she added hastily, "I don't need some dumb guy who thinks he's my protector following me around and getting in my way."

"Gourry dear is not a dumb guy!  He's very sweet!" Sylphiel protested

"So why don't you marry him if you think he's so damn sweet?!" Lina growled.  "That's all it is with you!  'Gourry dear' this and 'Gourry dear' that!  It's so annoying, I could scream!"

Sylphiel looked incredibly crestfallen.  "I-I'm sorry…" she stammered.

Lina rolled her eyes and yelled, "And stop apologizing for everything!  I don't want to hear it!  Why do you have to make everything so damn difficult?"

"Difficult?" Sylphiel said confusedly.

Lina sighed and shook her head dismissively.  Sylphiel wouldn't understand how well Lina had everything figured out.  If she left town without anyone knowing, she wouldn't have to deal with all these conflicting feelings.  

On one hand, she wanted to find Gourry and apologize for hurting his feelings.  She was sure that she had.  The pain in his voice had revealed that to her.  She wanted to experience that kiss that they had almost shared a few nights ago and, quite simply, just wanted to be with him.  It would be so easy to wait for him to return later on that evening, sit down with him, and somehow try to explain to him exactly what she was feeling.

The simple reality of the situation was that she couldn't allow that to happen.  If she wasn't around Gourry, she wouldn't have to worry about him getting hurt.  And he almost certainly would, if she stayed.  He had none of her experience when it came to hunting the dark creatures.  Besides, if she wasn't with him, if she didn't have to acknowledge that she felt something for him, maybe she could avoid fulfilling Martina's prophecy.  And why would he want to be with her anyway?  He had Sylphiel who was prettier than Lina was.  Not to mention more girly.  And she could cook.  And…

Lina shook her head angrily.  That was enough of that.  The bottom line was that jellyfish for brains just didn't know what was good for him.  But she was sure that she wasn't.

Two sleepless nights spent agonizing over the possibilities and in the end, something that Luna had told her several years ago had decided things for Lina.

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"Lina, you have to learn to simplify things," Luna had said, showing infinite patience with her younger sister.

"What's that mean, Sis?" Lina had asked, her face smudged with ink.  She'd been trying to figure out some mathematical equations that Luna had assigned her and had been quite frustrated at that point.

Luna leaned over the table and tapped a spot on the parchment.  "Don't try to do everything at once," she had said.  "Break the problem down to its components and solve them one at a time."  She took Lina's quill and jotted some numbers down on the paper. "See?"

Lina had seen and Sis's advice had worked splendidly.

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Just like it was going to work now.  Gourry was needlessly complicating the equation, so the best thing to do was to take him out of it.  Or at least, that's what Lina assumed that Luna had meant.  She didn't really remember anything about throwing part of the equation out completely, but it was the about the same thing, right?

Lina looked up at Sylphiel determinedly and said, "I'm going."  She turned and opened the door meaning to leave.  A large flying parcel struck her in the face, knocking her off her feet.  "What the hell?!"

"Oh, it's the morning post," Sylphiel said helpfully.  She removed the bundle of papers from Lina's lap and undid the twine binding them together.  "I do wish that the postman would be more careful," she said disapprovingly as she began to sort through the mail.  "Someone might have been hurt."

Lina opened her mouth to say that she was someone, but decided to drop it.  While Sylphiel was distracted, she might have a chance to slip away unnoticed.  On top of that, she might be able to catch up to the postman and vent some frustration.  Her decision made, she crept quietly towards the door.

"Oh, Miss Lina.  Don't you want your mail?" Sylphiel asked while holding up an envelope.

"I have mail?" Lina wondered aloud, suddenly forgetting that she was planning to leave.  "How can that be?  Nobody knows that I'm here."  She took the offered envelope and read, "To Miss Lina Inverse.  Yeah, that's me.  I guess it's not a mistake then."  She flipped the envelope over and examined it.  "No address or return address.  That's odd."

"Maybe it's a fan letter," Sylphiel suggested helpfully.

"A fan letter?" Lina muttered quizzically as she opened the envelope.  "Sylphiel, why would I be getting fan mail?"

"Because of all the good that you do!" Sylphiel said enthusiastically.

Lina rolled her eyes.  "Yeah.  All those good deeds that nobody knows about.  Let's see…"  She began to read the flowing script.

_To Miss Lina Inverse,_

_I trust that this letter finds you well.  I do hope that you'll forgive me for getting right to the point._

_Word of your deeds has quickly spread throughout Sairaag and I would like to be the first to congratulate you on your exemplary work in dealing with the Hellmaster.  Such a monumental task could not have been easy  and I must tell you that you have my utmost admiration._

"You see?" Sylphiel said happily, reading over Lina's shoulder, "It is a fan letter!"

Lina frowned and muttered, "But how does anyone know about that?"  She looked at Sylphiel and said, "Only a few people even knew that Hellmaster was here."  She sighed and read on.

Regretfully, I must confess that I did not write for the singular purpose of extolling your skill.  I have a quandary that might benefit from your expertise.  If it pleases you, I would very much like to arrange a meeting to discuss the possibility of offering you employment for which…

"Forget it," Lina said.  This sounded like it was going to involve staying in Sairaag and that was definitely out of the question.  She balled the letter up and tossed it casually over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Sylphiel asked as she picked up the crumpled parchment.  "You didn't even finish reading it!"

"So?" Lina said with a shrug.

Sylphiel smoothed out the paper and said, "If they took the time to write to you, the least you can do is take a moment to read it."  She smiled and offered the letter to Lina.  "It's only polite, you know."

Lina sighed and took the paper.  "I wonder about you sometimes, Sylphiel."

…possibility of offering you employment for which you would be paid the modest sum of 1000 gold coins with the potential for more if the problem is handled discreetly and efficiently.  If interested, you'll find a map on the reverse side of the page.  I'll be waiting at the location indicated at midnight tonight.  I very much look forward to meeting you in person.

Lina's heart skipped a beat when she read the offer.  A thousand?  With the potential for more?  She'd never even seen a thousand before.  Whoever this guy was, he knew how to get her attention.  Speaking of which…

Flipping the page over, Lina found the map as promised.  "But, there's no signature," she said dubiously.  "Something doesn't feel right about this."

"Maybe he just ran out of ink before he could sign it," Sylphiel suggested.

"Uh, I seriously doubt that."  Lina frowned.  There was definitely something off about the whole situation, but she had a sinking feeling that she knew where she'd be at midnight.  The offer was too intriguing to pass up.

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"Do you think she'll like it, Mr. Gourry?" Amelia excitedly asked for the hundredth time that day.  She was hammering a nail into the floor and painfully smashed her thumb when she looked up to talk to Gourry.  "Ow."

Gourry grinned and gave Amelia the same answer that he always did.  "I hope so."  He carefully laid a plank in place on the floor and began to nail it down.  He really did hope that Lina liked it.  Especially, after the way she had acted a few nights ago.  It had hurt his feelings when she had sent him away.  He must have done something wrong.  "Oh," he said thoughtfully, "maybe it was because I tried to kiss her."  Although, hadn't she been the one who had instigated it?  It was kind of confusing.  "Okay," he said after a moment, "I won't kiss her.  That should make everything better."  Satisfied with his logic, he swung the hammer down and smashed his thumb.  "Ow."

A few minutes later, hammers laid aside and bandages applied, Amelia and Gourry leaned against the wall and appreciated their fruits of their labor.  Lina's old home, once a burned out husk of a building, was quickly looking like its old self under their ministrations.

Getting the deed to the property and the funding had been surprisingly easy.  Zelgadis had been more than happy to arrange for both on the promise that Lina was not to be told of his involvement.  Gourry and Amelia had happily agreed.

Amelia took a long drought of water from her canteen and wiped the sweat off her forehead.  "So, where'd you learn to do all this?" she asked Gourry, gesturing to the construction.  She was a little surprised that he was adept at something besides swordplay.

"Hmm?" Gourry said, looking up from his blueprint.  "Ah, you learn a lot of things when you're raised in a small village.  Everyone was always helping each other out, building houses, hunting, and stuff."

Amelia smiled.  "It sounds really nice.  Why'd you leave?"

"I wanted to see the big city," Gourry said with a shrug.  "Village life was nice, but it was really boring.  What about you?"

"Me?" Amelia asked, pointing at herself.

"Yeah.  Where'd you grow up, Amelia?"

Amelia smiled sadly.  "Wherever we stopped, I guess.  I've been with the circus as long as I can remember.  My mom died when I was very young and my daddy..."  She unconsciously fingered the ornate ring hanging around her neck as she continued, "Well, I don't know what happened to my daddy.  Uncle Christopher told me that he died of the plague, but…"  She chuckled and said, "It's silly, but a part of me wants to believe that he's living a happy life somewhere."

"Well, I don't think it's silly," Gourry said as he laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back.  "So what's the deal with the ring?"

Amelia's face lit up and she scooted over so that Gourry could get a good look at the gold band.  "Uncle Christopher gave this to me when I was five," she explained excitedly.  "It used to belong to daddy.  Isn't it pretty?"

Gourry nodded.  It was rather nice.  A modest ruby lay in a fitting etched with strange designs.  "What are these?" he asked, pointing at the markings on the band.

"That's Seyruunian," Amelia explained.

"Seyruunian?"

"Yeah.  It's a language from one of the old kingdoms.  Before Rezo the First came to power a thousand years ago, there was a small kingdom by the name of Seyruun."

"So, what happened to it?"

"Oh," Amelia said quietly, "it was wiped out in the great war."  She smiled and added, "In the long run it was probably better for all of us.  After all, it's been relatively peaceful since the holy empire was formed.  The old kingdoms were always squabbling over one thing or another."  She sighed.  "A lot of people needlessly died back then.  But, my family still uses the language.  Even if Seyruun was one of a bunch of bickering kingdoms, it's still a part of my family's history."

"Wow," Gourry said, looking up.

"Wasn't that an interesting story?" Amelia asked happily.

"I guess so, but I was talking about that," Gourry said, pointing at the dark clouds gathering overhead.

Amelia asked, "What about them?" as the clouds rumbled ominously.

Gourry grinned sheepishly as thick raindrops began to fall on their newly finished floor.  "They make me think that we should have put the roof up first."

************************************************************************

"Whacha doing, Sylphy?"

Sylphiel cringed at the sound of helpful enthusiasm that voice.  She ceased her sweeping and nervously smiled at Phibrizzo.  "Nothing, really."

Phibrizzo eyed the broom and grinned.  "Looks like you're cleaning up."

Sylphiel nodded reluctantly.  "Just a bit.  I was just about finished though."  She looked out the window at the downpour and frowned.  Why'd it have to be raining?  "I don't suppose that you want to go out and play?" she asked without much hope.

"Uh-uh," Phibrizzo said with an emphatic shake of his head.  "It's all wet and nasty outside."  He grinned and asked the question that Sylphiel had been dreading.  "Can I help you?"

Suddenly feeling ill, Sylphiel reluctantly surrendered the broom to Phibrizzo.  Ever since coming to live with her, he had tried to help out in one way or another.  His parents were gone and she supposed that he wanted to prove himself to her somehow.  She really wished that he wouldn't.  She hated to admit it, but his help wasn't really all that helpful.  What he lacked in skill, really lacked in skill, he more than made up for in destructive enthusiasm. 

"I suppose that you can.  Now, make sure that you…"  Sylphiel gasped when she noticed what the child was doing.  "Oh dear," she chuckled nervously as she hastily moved to avert a potential disaster, "Phibrizzo, please be careful."

Phibrizzo was too wrapped up in his task to her Sylphiel.  He was sweeping with a great deal of gusto next to a shelf full of bottles and glasses of all shapes and sizes.  Every time he whipped the broom across the floor, the handle would miss the fragile containers by inches.  He stopped and looked up at the healer.  "Huh?" he said as the broom nudged one of the bottles.

The bottle teetered on the edge of the shelf precariously for a moment before gravity took hold and pulled it down.

Sylphiel dove forward and deftly caught the bottle with her fingertips before it could reach the floor.  She breathed a sigh of relief and set the container down.

"Wow, Sylphy!" Phibrizzo exclaimed.  "That was so cool!  Can you teach me to jump like that?"

Sylphiel just smiled and gave Phibrizzo the thumbs up.  Who knew that keeping up with a child was this much work?  

************************************************************************

Eris looked over her equipment with a cruel smile fixed upon her face.  A wide array of silver blades, ranging in length from a few inches to just over a foot, lay on the floor.  She preferred lighter tools when hunting if her prey was human or not.  Small blades could spill entrails just as well as large ones and tended to be lighter and more easily concealed. 

Beside these, less conventional weapons lay.  A small wrist mounted crossbow, Eris's own design, rested in a simple wooden box.  Beside it, there was a number of small silver tipped darts.  An innocuous looking chain bearing a familiar medallion of Ceiphied sat atop the box.  A garrote was concealed within the necklace.  Small vials containing deadly toxins were carefully arranged in a leather satchel.

Looking over the selection thoughtfully, Eris selected a few particularly cruel looking blades and secreted them within her cloak.  After a moment of consideration, she took the crossbow and a vial of one of the more virulent poisons from the bag.  

Lina would beg for death before the end, Eris decided.  "I hope you see this Luna," she muttered darkly.  "Because of traitorous nature, your sister will suffer."  She smiled.  Luna's attempted betrayal all those years ago had been a bitter pill to swallow for all of the Slayers.  The idea that their best and brightest could fall so far had been inconceivable.  Now, she could get a small measure of revenge through Lina though.

Checking her equipment one last time, Eris departed and began her hunt.

************************************************************************

Zelgadis listened to the rain as it fell upon the roof of his home.  It must have been quite a storm if the noise reached him down in his lair.  He sat on his throne as still as death, yet unwilling to sleep.  Since the incident with the Hellmaster, he found that his dreams had been filled with violence and death.  They were incredibly disturbing in their imagery, sometimes involving Lina and Gourry.  Sometimes Sylphiel or Zolf.  But the worst ones were the ones that involved Amelia.  Most of them involved the acrobat, almost as if his subconscious knew that he found those dreams most unpleasant and intentionally tormented him with them.

"What is wrong with me?" Zelgadis asked exhaustedly, not for the first time.  He buried his face in his hands and prayed for relief from his personal demons.  Suddenly, he reached over his shoulder and began to violently scratch his back, drawing bloody lines in his flesh with his talons.  That was another development.  He'd be fine for a while and, all of a sudden, it would feel as if a horrible rash had developed on his back.  It was maddening.

Then the pain was gone.

Zelgadis cursed and resumed his brooding.  He didn't have time for this, especially at this point.  The plan was in motion and even though Rezo had caught on a little sooner than he had hoped, it was too far along to stop now.  He briefly wished that Zolf were there, but he'd sent his servant away on an important errand that day.  

Another problem.  There was a grand celebration to arrange.  The arrival of the High Priest was tantamount to a visit from Ceiphied himself.  Rezo's presence in Sairaag was considered to be a great blessing.  It was customary to arrange for a celebration when Rezo made one of his rare visits the city and unless Zelgadis wanted to look bad in front of the ministers, he'd have to do so.

It'd have to be something simple.  A gala perhaps.  Something that Zelgadis could throw together in a day or so for the purpose of satisfying his social obligations.  Give the ministers some drinking, dancing, and easy women and they would be happy.  And if they were happy, he would be slightly less irritable.

Sighing heavily, Zelgadis stood and flung his cape over his shoulders with a flourish.  He pulled his hood up as he approached the entryway.  There would be no rest for him today.  There was far too much to do.

************************************************************************

Sylphiel had just finished rearranging the bottles on the shelf behind the counter when she heard the door open.  Putting on her friendliest smile, she turned to greet the customer.  "Welcome to… oh, dear."

Eris stood in the doorway, crossbow leveled at Sylphiel's chest.  "Hello dear," she said with a cold smirk.  Noting Sylphiel's frightened expression she chuckled and said, "No need to fret.  A little bird told me that Lina Inverse was staying here.  If you'd be so kind as to show me to her room, I'll be out of your hair before you know it."

"Miss Lina isn't here anymore," Sylphiel explained.  "She left this morning."

"Oh she did?" Eris said, her face frighteningly neutral.  "How convenient."

Just then, Phibrizzo ran through the door yelling, "Sylphy, I finished sweeping the back room!  What do you want me to-"

With snakelike speed, Eris's arms flew out to grab the child.  She snatched him off the floor, held him aloft by his neck, and said, "What a cute little boy," with a cruel grin on her face.

A moment later, Phibrizzo's head was twisted to the side, a dangerous amount of pressure applied to his neck.  He looked at Sylphiel with a terrified expression on his face, silently begging her to save him somehow.

"Now," Eris said coldly, "are you absolutely sure that Lina's not here?  Because I understand that you may have been mistaken and you might want to check again.  Just to be sure, you understand."

Sylphiel shook her head emphatically.  "She's not here!  Please don't hurt Phibrizzo!"

Eris swore silently.  It couldn't be easy, could it?  "Then do you know where she's gone?  Out with it!"

Shaking like a leaf, Sylphiel struggled to recall what the letter had said.  Something about a meeting.  There had been a map on the back, she remembered.  She knew the area that it had mentioned.  Struggling to keep her voice steady, she began to give Eris directions.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Clash of the Slayers

Notes:  Hope everyone's having a lovely holiday season!  Um, let's see…  Actually I don't really have much to say about this chapter.  We should have some action by the next chapter though.

Reviewer response:

Ah, Miss Summersong!  I can't tell you how pleased I am to have you reading another of my fics!  Thank you very much for your kind words.

Hello Miss Gabriev.  Phibby remembered that Lina helped him.  He just remembered that she stabbed him first is all.

Otaku Girl, I expect Lina will be getting better over the next couple of chapters.  Martina makes a brief appearance in the next chapter and Zangulus appears in the one after that.  You have an older sister who overshadows you, huh?  Hmm, well I'm sure that you have a bunch of unique qualities that set you apart from her.  

Until next time!  Thanks for betaing, Pogo!


	23. The Swordsman and the Slayer

"Amelia!" Zelgadis yelled.  He breathed a sigh of relief.  "Thank Ceiphied," he said, catching up to Amelia and Gourry as they were leaving Lina's nearly finished home.

Amelia's face brightened considerably when she saw Zelgadis.  "Mr. Zelgadis!  Where have you been?" she asked with a giggle.

Zelgadis ignored Amelia's question and grabbed her wrists.  "Amelia, I don't have time for chitchat.  I need an escort for a party tomorrow evening," he hastily explained.

"An… an escort?" Amelia repeated, her face turning a bright shade of red.  "What kind of party?"

Gourry scratched his head confusedly.  "What's an escort?"

Zelgadis frowned darkly and muttered, "It's a soiree for a bunch of pigs and they'd never let me hear the end of it if I didn't bring an attractive young lady with me."

"P-pigs?" Amelia stammered.  "And you want me to be your escort?"  Her mind was racing.  Mr. Zelgadis thought that she was attractive?  She smiled inwardly, but immediately thought about the rest of his statement.  This party sounded a little suspicious.  His next words confirmed her suspicions.

Zelgadis nodded.  "That's right.  I'm desperate, Amelia.  I've been thinking about it and you're the only girl that I can ask to do this.  I need you."  He released his hold on her and began to reach for his coin purse.  "Now, if you need some money…"  

"Money?!"  Amelia forcefully planted her fist in Zelgadis's face, knocking the surprised man off his feet.  "I-I'm not that kind of girl!" she shrieked indignantly.

"Ouch," Gourry muttered, wincing sympathetically as Zelgadis slammed face first into the street.

Zelgadis groaned.  The street beneath him muffled his words.  "Not that kind of escort, Amelia."

"Don't you think you went a little overboard?" Gourry meekly suggested.  He put his hands up defensively when Amelia glared at him.  "None of my business, of course."

"I need a date," Zelgadis grumbled as he picked himself up off the street.  "Someone to go to a dinner and dancing affair with me."

"Oh, Mr. Zelgadis, you're asking me out on a date?" Amelia said, her face a bright shade of pink.

"Well, I-"

Amelia giggled and said, "I'd love to!"  She rubbed her chin thoughtfully and muttered, "Now, I'm going to need to get my hair done, but Sylphiel can do that, and I have to tell Uncle Christopher that I can't help with the lions tomorrow.  Or the tigers.  Ooh, and what about the bears?  Oh my…"

Zelgadis sighed and shook his head impatiently as he watched Amelia fret.  He had a bad feeling about this.  The last thing he wanted to do was expose her to those… those people, but he was desperate.  Besides, he wanted her to go with him.  He hadn't been quite truthful earlier.  There were plenty of other women that would have jumped at the chance to attend this party, but she had been the first and only person he could think of.  In all honesty, it probably would have been far wiser if he'd gone with any one of the others.  Amelia was too close to Lina.  And he didn't need Lina finding out.

Gourry cleared his throat and made a sad attempt at looking casual.  He all but hopped from foot to foot as he asked, "So, a party, huh?" with a big grin on his face.

Zelgadis watched Gourry with a raised eyebrow for a moment before shaking his head.  "No."

"Aw, what do you mean, no?"

Zelgadis rolled his eyes.  "No!  You'd be bored out of your mind at this thing.  It's for VIPs only."  He hastily added, "And don't you dare tell Lina about it either!"  He glanced at Amelia and said, "That goes for you too."  The last thing he needed was for Lina to show up at a party he was hosting after he'd sworn to his father that he didn't know her.

Gourry cringed a little at the fire in Zelgadis's voice.  "Okay."  He scratched his head thoughtfully and asked, "If it's only for important people, how come you get to go?"

Zelgadis was spared the tricky problem of answering Gourry's question by a horrified gasp from Amelia.

"Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia wailed, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears, "I've already ruined your whole evening!"

"You-You have?!" Zelgadis asked incredulously.  His head was spinning with the possibilities.  Something was wrong.  Something disastrous, with his luck.

"I don't have a dress for a formal party!  I'm so sorry, Mr. Zelgadis!"

"That's it?"  Zelgadis breathed a sigh of relief and tried to quash the urge to laugh.  The situation was utterly absurd, but sort of nice at the same time.  The way Amelia was carrying on, one would think that she had actually done something wrong.  He had to admit that it was touching that she was that concerned about him.  Nobody else had ever been.

Zelgadis reached into his pocket and produced a small pouch of gold.  "That's why I was offering you money earlier," he said, unable to hide a grin.  "Go buy something nice, Amelia."

************************************************************************

Lina tipped her tankard up, grunting slightly as the first swallow of ale hit her stomach like a hammer.  "Ah, that really hits the spot," she said happily as she slammed the now empty container back down on the bar.  "Hey bartender," she called out, "one more for the road!  Gimmie the cheap stuff!"

It had been a long time since she'd had a drink.  A week of restlessly fighting the forces of darkness followed by a month in a coma and then yet another week of bed rest after she'd woken up.  While she recovered, Sylphiel had adamantly refused to allow Lina to even have a glass of wine.  She'd said that it was bad for her recovery.  It had almost been too much for the poor girl.

"Well, I'm fine and dandy now," Lina said enthusiastically.  Another tankard came sliding down the bar and came to rest in front of her.  "Ah!  Just the thing for a thirsty young lady like myself!"  She greedily snatched up the new flagon and set about emptying it.  "I was beginning to worry that I'd have to deal with reality sober!" she joked to nobody in particular.

"And what's wrong with that, if I may ask?"

Lina sputtered in mid swig, spilling half of her ale on herself.  She turned to see Xellos sitting beside her.  He had a mischievous grin on his face as he loudly slurped up a chocolate milkshake through a straw.  "Damn it, Xellos!" she yelled.  "Don't do that to me!"

Xellos chuckled and waved to the bartender.  "Sir?  A glass of milk for my young friend here, if you please."

A moment later, the glass slid to a stop in front of Lina.  "I don't like milk," she said, glaring at the glass as if it were poison.

Xellos sighed quietly and seemed to slump over a bit on his stool.  "Humor me please, Lina.  I'm very old and trying to provide guidance to the young is the only pleasure I have left in life."  He sniffed and added, "I just feel so feeble and useless, waiting for Ceiphied to call me home."

"Jeez, lay off the guilt trip," Lina muttered as she reluctantly took a sip and grimaced.  Milk was most certainly not the best chaser for Sairaag ale.  Looking a little green, she shoved the glass away and said, "Actually, I'm glad that you showed up, Xellos."

"Oh?  Why is that?" Xellos asked as he finished off his milkshake.  Without waiting for Lina's response, he turned and waved to the bartender again.  "Excuse me?  I hate to keep bothering you, but could I get another milkshake?  And maybe a bowl of peanuts?  Thank you very much."

Lina drummed her fingers on the countertop impatiently.  "Can I finish?"

Xellos nodded, his mouth already full of peanuts.

"You helped me, didn't you?" Lina asked in an almost reverent tone.  "You saved me when I was sick, right?"  She remembered something… something about Xellos while she was asleep.  And then she'd gotten better.

The priest's eyes bugged out as he began to choke on a peanut.  "Pardon me," he rasped as he began to violently cough.  

Lina watched Xellos's display with a look of annoyed disinterest on her face.  Somehow, she'd known that something like this would happen.  Showing infinite patience, she yawned as he began to turn blue.  She could wait out his little show.

Xellos thumped on his chest, finally dislodging the treacherous peanut from his windpipe.  He turned back to Lina and said, "Well, that was close, wasn't it?  You know, that reminds me of a story…"

"Would you stop it?!" Lina said, slamming her fist down on the counter.  "Just give me a straight answer for once!"

A hurt expression replaced the smile on Xellos's face.  "You shouldn't yell at me, you know."  His grin quickly returned and he asked, "Now, what were we talking about again?"  An instant later, Lina's hands were wrapped tightly around his throat.

"You helped me when I was sick!" Lina bellowed, thumping Xellos's head on the bar with each word.  "I heard your voice!"

Xellos struggled to get a response out between impacts.  "Ow, you… ow, probably heard… ow, a lot of things."

Lina loosened her grip on the priest's throat.  "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You were delirious," Xellos explained as he scurried out of grabbing distance.  "You were talking to people who weren't there.  Your sister, your parents, but mostly you were talking to that Gourry fellow."  Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he quietly added, "I seem to recall that you were saying some rather racy things, too."

"You're kidding, right?" Lina said with a nervous chuckle.  "Tell me that you're kidding."

"Oh, not at all, Lina.  There's nothing to be embarrassed about though." Xellos shrugged and grinned mischievously.  "As a matter of fact, it's perfectly understandable.  You're a healthy young lady and it stands to reason that you have certain… appetites."

Lina buried her face in her hands and groaned.  "What did I say?" she hesitantly asked, dreading the answer.  She felt her face go hot and briefly wished that she hadn't survived her encounter with Hellmaster.

"Lina, you're making me blush," Xellos protested.  "I can't repeat things like that.  I'm a priest after all."  He stood and winced as he popped his back.  "Well, I'll be off now."

"You're leaving?" Lina said from behind her hands.  She had totally forgotten about asking him about her miraculous recovery, which of course had been the trickster's intention the entire time.

"Oh yes indeed.  I'm quite busy you know and as much as I enjoy your company young lady, I must be off."

"So, you just came down here to humiliate me, am I right?"

"Not at all," Xellos said with a chuckle.

"What's that mean?" Lina asked, leery of the priest's answer.

Xellos grinned mischievously and pointed at something over Lina's shoulder.

Lina turned to see Gourry enter the tavern.  "Damn it!" she bellowed angrily.  "Xellos, you knew that I was trying to-"  She stopped when she saw that the priest had disappeared, leaving behind some empty glasses and a half eaten bowl of peanuts to mark his passing.

Gourry's face lit up when he saw Lina at the bar.  "Hey, you're better!  I thought that you were still in bed!" he exclaimed as he sat on a stool next to her.  "How'd you get out of bed so quick?"  He frowned and asked, "Did you sneak out without Sylphiel's permission?"

"No, I got better."

Gourry scratched his head and muttered, "But nobody heals that fast."  He leaned over and whispered, "Lina, did you hit Sylphiel over the head and tie her up or something?"

"Why would I do something like that?!" Lina yelled indignantly.  

"I don't know," Gourry said with a shrug.  "I figured that you might have gotten a little stir crazy or something."

Lina took a deep breath and said, "No, Gourry.  Even though that makes a whole lot of sense, I promise that I didn't make my escape after knocking Sylphiel out."  She shrugged and took another sip of ale.  "I just got better.  No other explanation for it, really.  See?"  She pointed at her fully healed leg.

"Oh," Gourry said while scrutinizing the limb.  "If you say so.  Does it still hurt at all?"

"No, not really."  Lina took a deep breath.  She knew that they'd have to talk about what had happened sooner or later.  Might as well get it over with now.  She looked into Gourry's eyes, and struggled to avoid sounding stupid.  "Um, Gourry, about what happened the other night…"

Gourry blinked.  He'd bet a hundred coins that Lina was talking about what had happened in her room.  "Other night', Lina?" he said, trying to play the idiot.  He was a horrible actor.  "I don't really remember what happened the other night."  Smiling confusedly, he asked, "Was it important?"  If he didn't acknowledge what had happened, maybe she'd forgive him for… well, for whatever he'd done.  He hadn't quite figured that part out yet.

"You jellyfish," Lina said, not unkindly.  She'd seen the look of recognition on the swordsman's face when she started talking about that touchy subject and suspected that he remembered more than he was letting on.  Still, she appreciated his willingness not to press the issue.

Gourry saw Lina's knapsack sitting on the floor beside her and frowned.  "So, what are you doing Lina?" he asked while looking at her intently.

Lina fidgeted under Gourry's gaze and muttered, "Oh, you know… this and that.  I thought that I might see the sights since I'm taking some time off, you know, since I haven't been here in five years."

Gourry shook his head sadly.  Lina was a horrible liar.  "You're leaving, aren't you?  You were going to leave without even telling me.  Why?"

Biting her lip thoughtfully, Lina said, "Because."  How could she explain to Gourry that she had to leave because of the prophecy?  He was a beloved companion.  Actually, calling him a 'beloved companion' cheapened what she felt for him.  It was irritating.  She could be brushing her hair and then she'd find herself thinking about how soft his hair had been when she'd had her arms around him.  When she was tucked under the blanket in bed, she'd wish that the warmth that she was feeling was from his embrace.  Always, he was no more than a moment away from her thoughts.  "Because," she said again to sum up her feelings.

"Because," Gourry repeated.  It had been strange.  Lina had looked scared at first, which had upset him somewhat.  He was supposed to make sure that she never had reason to fear anything.  When he had opened his mouth to tell her so, her expression had become almost dreamy, and he thought that he'd never seen her happier.  "Lina, why won't you let me stay with you?"

"Well, because I don't really need a protector," Lina said with an apologetic shrug.  "And because I don't want to see you get hurt."  It looked as if it pained her to suggest it, but she said, "Why… why don't you protect Sylphiel?  She thinks the world of you, you know."

Gourry favored Lina with a loving smile and whispered, "Because, Sylphiel doesn't need my help.  And because I want to protect you, Lina."

Staring into her half empty flagon as if the solution might be there, Lina muttered, "Gourry, I'm not staying in Sairaag forever, you know.  You're not really going to abandon Sylphiel to follow me, right?"  That was it, she thought.  Appeal to his love for Sylphiel and he'd abandon this whole protector nonsense.  She felt incredibly alone all of a sudden.  But she'd always been alone, so why was it bothering her now?  Feeling thoroughly depressed, she took a long draught of ale.

Gourry scratched his head and thought for a moment.  Then he grinned and said, "Sure, why not?"

Lina almost choked on her drink for the second time in ten minutes.  She slammed the tankard down, turned to Gourry, and stammered, "B-because she loves you, you thickheaded idiot!  Don't you love her?"

"No."

Lina stared at Gourry, her jaw agape.  "You said that she was your girlfriend, remember?"  Had she misjudged him?  Was he really that much of a jerk?

"Well, yeah."  Gourry turned to the barkeep and indicated that he wanted a tankard of his own.  "She's a girl and she's my friend.  Girlfriend, right?"

There was a sudden silence in the bar, as if everyone had sensed that some terrible calamity was about to transpire.  Maybe it was the fact that the temperature in the room had suddenly dropped by twenty degrees.  Maybe it was because the lanterns seemed to dim.  Or maybe, just maybe, it was because there was a redheaded girl at the bar with a look on her face that would cause a demon to cower in terror.

"You… you… you jellyfish!" Lina yelled furiously.  When Gourry's ale came sliding down the bar, she snatched it up and slammed the tankard against the side of his head, sloshing alcohol all over the swordsman.  "Jellyfish, jellyfish, jellyfish!" she repeated over and over, punctuating each insult with a blow to his head.  How dare he put an innocent maiden like her through all this heartache?

"Ow, ow!" Gourry yelped.  He fruitlessly tried to cover his head with his hands as he yelled, "What'd I say, Lina?!"

"JELLYFISH!!" Lina bellowed one final time before flattening the steel tankard against Gourry's skull.  Seeing that he was sufficiently dazed, she flung the ruined cup across the bar shattering some of the bottles that lined the back wall.  "You know what?!" she yelled into his ear.  "Be my protector!  See if I care what happens to you!"  She could kill him right now, she thought.  Maybe that prophecy was a blessing instead of a curse.

"S-sure, Lina," Gourry mumbled quietly.  He struggled to focus on her and briefly wondered why he was seeing two of the furious redhead.  Better not to ask, he thought.  He already had a splitting headache and she'd probably just hurt him again.

The bartender glared at the ruined bottles and then at Lina.  He growled, "Hey, are you going to pay for that?!" as he stormed over to where she was sitting.

Lina turned to the man and snarled, sounding more like an animal than a human.

The bartender held his hands up defensively and backed away slowly. 

Lina took a deep cleansing breath and smiled.  She felt a lot better now.  "Gourry?" she said sweetly, poking him in the head as she spoke.

Gourry began to detach his face from the top of the bar and muttered a muffled, "Yeah?"

"What are you doing tonight?" Lina asked in that frighteningly sweet tone.  She felt oh so much better now that she'd vented all that horrible anger and frustration.  She even found herself feeling happy with Gourry again. 

"I don't know."  Gourry swallowed nervously before asking, "What are we doing tonight?"

"Glad you asked," Lina said as she withdrew the letter that she had received earlier that day with a flourish.  "What I thought that we might do was…"

************************************************************************

The streets of Sairaag were abuzz with news and gossip about Rezo's visit.  When his visit had been announced, he was already in the city, making many wonder how long he had been there and how a man of his infamy had managed to slip into the city unannounced.  Some said that he had slipped in late one evening in an unmarked midnight black carriage.  These people were scoffed at.  Everyone knew that the High Priest had a lavish coach, decorated with pearl and ivory that shone like the dawn.  Even this theory had its detractors.  After all, Ceiphied Himself carried Rezo in His splendorous talons when the High Priest was needed.

Which begged the question, why had Ceiphied sent his greatest servant to Sairaag?  Some said that the Night of Death, as the Hellmaster incident had come to be called, had brought the High Priest out of his self-imposed solitude.  Others claimed that he was on a holy pilgrimage across the empire to purge it of vice and Sairaag was in special need of his mercy.  A few claimed that he had taken ill and wanted to travel before his death.  These people only whispered their opinions.  It was a capital offense, punishable by death, to speak ill of the High Priest.

In truth, nobody really had the slightest notion of what had actually brought the man to Sairaag.  The wild rumors were just that, rumors.  The only thing that everyone had in common was the fact that they were excited about the visit.  

The anticipation grew when word got out of a lavish party, planned by the reclusive Lord Greywords himself, that would take place that evening.  The curious populace mercilessly interrogated those lucky enough to be working on the ball, eager for any tidbit of gossip from the private party.  The fortunate laborers were more than happy to tell of the wondrous decorations and the expensive food.

All were pleased, with the exception of a short wiry man wearing a tattered brown cloak.  He had short reddish hair that was so uneven that one might have thought that he had cut it himself.  A scraggly beard did little to conceal the exaggerated features of his face.  His one good eye was narrow and had a feral look to it.  A black patch obscured the other.  His nose was long and blunt, looking almost like a snout.

At the moment, this little fellow was struggling to move a barrel that was roughly twice his size off a cart and up the stairs of the capital building.  "Bloody 'ell," he muttered, "Gettin' revenge twern't s'pposed t'be this tough."

"And that's when I faced down twenty of the demons myself," Volun explained to his captive audience.  He'd seen the pretty blonde while on patrol and taken it upon himself to see if she needed any assistance.  After all, it was what any self-respecting guard would do.  "Of course," he said with a boisterous laugh, "I didn't know that they were demons at the time!  Half of them were dead and the rest were quaking in fear before I figured it out."

"You don't say," the blonde said with an utter lack of enthusiasm.  The guy had been going on for twenty minutes now and she'd like to get her shopping done sometime today.

"And then I-"  Volun was suddenly distracted by what sounded like the yipping of a wounded dog.  Apparently, it was coming from a man in the courtyard of the church.  He looked back down to see the blonde slipping away into the crowd.  "Wait," he called out, "Aren't we having dinner?"  But, she was already gone.  He sighed and turned back to watch the puny man try to push a barrel up the stairs.  Hmm, it was his civic duty to help those in need, and the man was obviously supplying wine for the party tomorrow night, so if he played his cards right, he'd get an early look at the ballroom.

"Bloody 'Ezo, I'll git ye fer this…"

Volun's brow furrowed in thought as he approached the small man.  Was he even speaking Volun's language?  Deciding that increased volume would help breach the language barrier, he stood behind the much smaller fellow and bellowed, "Need some help there, friend?!"

"Mummy!" the man yelped, scared out of his wits.  He lost his hold on the barrel, which promptly went tumbling over him and down the stairs.  

Volun caught the barrel and slung it up on his shoulder with a grin.  "Let me give you some assistance.  Now, where do you want this?" he asked eyeing the door to the ballroom eagerly.

Dusting himself off, the strange man climbed to his feet and growled in a very animalistic way.  "Put down me 'owder!" he yipped, hopping from foot to foot angrily.

"Now, don't be like that," Volun said, patting the irate fellow on the head.  He didn't understand a word that the guy was saying, but he was obviously upset about something.  "What's your name, friend?"

"Jillas," the man replied with a growl.  "Now, gimmie back me 'owder!"

Volun nodded and continued up the stairs with the keg.  It was strange.  Whatever was in it certainly didn't feel like liquid.  The contents didn't slosh around like liquid would.  Instead, it hissed, sounding more like granules of sand than anything.  "Hey," he called out to Jillas, "is this some kind of spice or something?"

Jillas shook his head angrily.  "It's 'owder!  Goin' te blow the place te 'ell!" he explained, gesturing wildly to show just how big the explosion was going to be.

"Chowder?" Volun repeated dubiously.  "That's strange…"  Why would clam chowder come in keg?  He shrugged and continued on to the ballroom with his cargo.

"It's 'owder!  'Owder, ye bloomin' idjit!" Jillas yelled at Volun's back.  He reached into his cloak looking for his slug thrower before remembering that he'd had to surrender it to the guards before entering the church grounds.  He sighed angrily and set about getting the other three barrels of the back of his cart.  It was annoying but not that big a deal.  Tomorrow night, Rezo would die.  That was all that mattered.

************************************************************************

Gourry sat on an old stool in the corner of the dilapidated cathedral.  His feet were resting on the back of a rickety pew and his fingers were laced comfortably over his belly.  His headache was almost gone.  Lina had been downright cheerful since the incident at the bar.  On top of that, she'd actually agreed to let him come with her on this job.  All in all, things had turned out fairly well, he thought.  Stifling a yawn, the swordsman glanced around the room.  "Kinda creepy though," he mused aloud.  

One could easily tell that night was falling through the gaping holes in the roof.  A small lantern that Lina had brought with her insufficiently illuminated the interior of the church, casting menacing shadows along the walls.  Behind the overturned altar a rickety set of stairs spiraled upwards to a bell tower that listed perilously to the side.  It wasn't a cheerful place, to say the least.

Irritated by Gourry's voice, Lina turned and made a shushing motion.  Didn't the jellyfish understand what "Keep out of sight and stay quiet," meant?  Deciding that he'd been sufficiently chastised, she turned her attention back to the task of searching for her contact.  "Damn it," she whispered.  

Lina didn't know why she'd allowed Gourry to come with her.  She'd been so mad at him before, but now she was just happy to know that he wasn't involved with Sylphiel.  On the way over to the church, she'd decided that prophesy or not, she was not going to kill Gourry.  It was as simple as that.  Just because some ditzy charlatan had told her that she would do it didn't mean that she didn't have a say in the matter.  Fate could never take choice away from her.

Stealing a quick glance at Gourry, Lina simultaneously felt a pang of regret coupled with great affection for the man.  She'd felt bad about what she'd done to him earlier that day, but he hadn't even held it against her.  She briefly wondered if he'd already forgotten the incident, but dismissed that thought out of hand.  Gourry could get mixed up at times, but he wasn't stupid.  He was simple.  And so very kind.

Feeling her face getting hot, Lina quickly turned her attention back to the task at hand.  "Now, where is he?" she mused aloud.  There were so many places that he could be hiding.  The mysterious writer had chosen their meeting place well.  She was starting to suspect that he wasn't going to show up and was about to tell Gourry to forget the whole thing when she heard the sound of a board creaking in the darkness.  "Hey, anyone there?" she called out, instinctively placing her hand on the hilt of her sword.

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1A quiet voice echoed through the church.  "Welcome, Lina Inverse.  I've been waiting for you."

Lina glanced around, fruitlessly trying to figure out where the voice was emanating from.  "Waiting for me?" she said with a scowl.  "Buddy, I've been sitting here for three hours, so don't try to tell me that you've been waiting."

"Ah, yes, well..."

"You just got here didn't you?" Lina asked, the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.  Silence was her only answer and she snorted derisively.  "I knew it!  You write me this mysterious letter inviting me to a secret meeting and you can't even be bothered to show up on time.  Pathetic."

"Look, it wasn't my fault.  Traffic was terrible.  There was an overturned fruit cart two blocks down and the carriages were backed up for a quarter mile."

Lina crossed her arms and grinned.  "That's why you should always make an effort to leave fifteen minutes early.  My sis told me that.  Now you've blown the whole 'mysterious employer' image and you look like an idiot."

"I-idiot?!" the voice stammered.  "Now see here, you flat chested little-"

Lina ignored the rest of his diatribe in favor of looking down at her somewhat less than ample breasts.  "Flat chested?" she muttered curiously.  Great.  As if she didn't have anything else to worry about.  "I am not flat chested!" she loudly protested, "I'm willowy!"  Scowling, she drew her sword and began to move into the shadows.  "You've got a lot of nerve, pal."

Gourry scratched his head thoughtfully as he watched Lina stalk the stranger through the shadows.  "Wow, I never noticed, but she is kinda flat chested."  His sharp eyes saw movement on the far side of the church and he silently stood and began his own hunt.

"Come on out," Lina said, trying to sound friendly.  The clenched teeth and drawn sword detracted from the effect somewhat.  "You wanted to make some kind of deal, right?"  She kicked over a pew, setting off a chain reaction that toppled a dozen more.

"Calm down!" the voice commanded.

"Calm down?" Lina growled.  "You call me out here in the middle of the night, keep me waiting for hours, insult me, and now you want me to calm down?  Who do you think you are?"

"The man offering you a thousand gold pieces."

"Oh, well there is that I suppose," Lina said with a sigh.  Sheathing her sword she growled, "So, what do you want?  You said it had something to do with my expertise, right?"

"Correct.  As the Slayer that single handedly dealt with Hellmaster-"

"Which is something that I haven't told anyone," Lina pointed out.  "How do you know about that?  It wasn't Gourry.  That's for sure.  I doubt it was Amelia or Sylphiel either.  They don't seem like the type to get mixed up with this kind of thing.  Hmm."  Her face suddenly lit up and she smacked her fist into her palm excitedly.  "I've got it!  You're working for Zelgadis, aren't you?  Oh Lina, you're so smart!"

"Even if that was true, which it isn't, my employer's identity is not important," the man tersely replied.

"Ah ha!" Lina exclaimed, pointing at a random spot in the dark.  "So you admit that you are working for someone!  And I'll bet that someone is Zelgadis!"

The man yelled, "Would you shut up and let me finish?!  I have other things to do tonight besides listen to you blather on and on!"

"Jeez, I'm sorry," Lina said contritely.  "I was just excited that I'd figured everything out, you know?"

"You didn't figure anything out!  None of it is true!  For the love of Ceiphied, can I please deliver my message and be done with it?!"

Lina pouted cutely.  "Okay, I'll listen."

"Thank you!"  The man took a deep breath before continuing.  "Now, there's a man by the name of Diol who works for the church.  You probably aren't familiar with him-"

"Diol!" Lina interrupted excitedly.  "He's a healer who's got a great knowledge of anatomy and medicine.  On top of that, he's one of the higher ups in the local hierarchy, am I right?"  She giggled happily and said, "Ooh, I'm so good at this!"

"Jeez Lina," Gourry muttered to himself in the shadows, "if you pat yourself on the back any harder your arm's going to break off."  He continued his cautious stalking of the man in the darkness.  Another dozen feet and he'd be right on top of him.  Slowly, he drew the Sword of Light in preparation for his attack.

"Correct, Miss Lina," the voice begrudgingly admitted.  "He's not the noble healer that most people think that he is though.  He's been involved in grave robbing and other darker pursuits."

"And I'm just supposed to take your word on that?" Lina asked dubiously.  "If it's true, why hasn't there been an official investigation?"

"Because the church doesn't want to risk the embarrassment of such an investigation leaking to the public.  We'd rather hire an independent contractor to deal with this problem."

"Hmm, this sounds like the speech that Zelgadis gave me a couple weeks back," Lina said while tapping her cheek thoughtfully.  "Are you absolutely sure that you're not working for Zelgadis?" she asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"Oh for the love of...  No!  I'm not working for Zelgadis!  And furthermore..."

"Got him Lina," Gourry said as he grabbed the back of the much smaller man's cloak.

Lina hopped up and down excitedly.  "Good job, Gourry!"  She picked up the lantern and carried it over to where the swordsman held the struggling man.

The light illuminated a wrinkled face with a gray moustache and matching hair.

"Hmm, you don't look familiar," Lina muttered as she scrutinized his features in the dim light.

"I recognize him, Lina."  Gourry grinned and said, "It's old man Zolf."  Noting Lina's blank expression, he said, "You know, the guy that runs the abandoned cemetery.  I used to see him once in a while on my rounds.  I guess we put an end to whatever mischief he was up to, huh?"

Zolf snarled, "Bah!  And I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you meddling-"

"Anyway!" Lina quickly interrupted.  "What's the story here, gramps?  Why are you really trying to pull?"

"I did want to hire you," Zolf explained.  "I chose you because the job holds some personal interest for you.  I told you that Diol was involved in grave robbing."

"Yeah, so?"

"One of the vandalized graves belonged to your sister."

Lina closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  She sounded surprisingly calm as she said, "You're not just saying that, are you?  Because if I found out that you were saying that just to get me to agree to help you, I'd be a little upset."

Zolf shook his head sadly.  "I'm afraid that it's true.  Just two weeks ago, Luna's grave was desecrated.  I'm very sorry."

Lina quickly nodded, indicating that she'd heard enough.  "Gourry," she hissed through clenched teeth, "let's go."

Just then the doors to the church flew open with a loud crash.  Standing in the doorway was a woman in a black cloak.  "I'm afraid that you won't be going anywhere, little Inverse."

Lina scowled and said, "Lady, if you're looking for trouble, you've come to the right place."

Zolf hissed in surprise when he recognized Eris.  He stomped on Gourry's foot eliciting a surprised yelp from the swordsman and made a dash for the back of the church.  He couldn't risk being linked to Lina.  It would mean Zelgadis's death, not to mention his own.

Lina glared at Zolf's retreating back and snapped, "Gourry, go get him!  We aren't done talking yet."  There was a menacing tone in her voice, suggesting that her command should be immediately obeyed without question.

Gourry ignored Lina's tone.  He didn't like the looks of the newcomer at all and she obviously had some sort of problem with Lina.  And now Lina wanted him to run off and leave her again?  He started to protest, "But Lina..."  

Lina glared at him and snarled, "Just do it!" before turning to face the approaching Eris.  

"Well… okay Lina."  Gourry spared Lina one last troubled glance before reluctantly turning to pursue his quarry.

Lina rolled up her sleeves and warned, "Lady, I'm really not in the mood to play games right now."  She drew her sword and rushed at Eris.

"Oh, good," Eris replied with a cruel smirk.  "I don't like games either."  She spun, her cloak billowing out around her.  Under the cover of fluttering cloth, she leveled her crossbow at Lina's chest and loosed a bolt.

Sensing danger, Lina flung herself to the side.  The projectile passed through her cape, missing her body by scant inches.  Not wasting a moment, she tucked her head down and rolled as she hit the ground, coming up in a kneeling position behind a pew.  An instant later, another quarrel slammed into the wood next to her head.  "Jeez, she's serious," she muttered as she hastily removed her cape.

"Damn it," Eris hissed as she reloaded her crossbow.  "Come out and fight, Inverse!"

Lina's mocking voice called out, "Well, if you really want me to..."  A moment later, a dark shape sprang out from her hiding place.

"Got you," Eris whispered as she drew a bead on her airborne foe.  She fired and the bolt passed right through the center of the cloaked form.  "I expected better from Luna's little sister."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Lina's voice growled from just to Eris's left.

"What?!"  Eris turned just in time to see a cloakless Lina bring her silver edged blade down in what would be a killing blow.  Instinctively, she leapt back while bringing her hands up in an attempt to ward off the strike.  The sword slammed into her right wrist, splintering her crossbow and numbing her arm temporarily, but doing her no lasting harm.

Leaping forward, Lina swung again, meaning to finish the fight right there.  As she did so, a violent cramp caused her right leg to stiffen up and her strike went wide.  It only made sense, she thought.  A month in bed with no exercise and all of a sudden she was pushing herself like she was at the top of her form?  She'd be lucky if this was the worst that would happen.  It didn't mean that it didn't suck though.

Eris landed on her back and rolled backwards onto her feet again.  As if by magic, a dagger suddenly appeared in her hand, produced from some hidden pocket in her cloak.  She sprang forward quickly and silently, her blade aimed at Lina's heart.

Lina clumsily batted the knife aside with her sword.  She was starting to realize just how slow she was.  When the knife came back around towards her throat, she struck Eris's wrist with her palm, jarring the blade out of her grasp.  She then immediately whipped her arm back, meaning to elbow Eris in the nose.

With an ease born of a lifetime in combat, Eris ducked Lina's strike and deftly disarmed the redhead.  While Lina's sword was still in the air, she leaned forward and struck her foe on her injured thigh.

Lina hissed as a bolt of pain shot up her cramped leg.  "Dammit," she whispered just before the breath was driven out of her by a sharp kick just below her breastbone.  This was immediately followed by a palm strike to her nose, bloodying it.  She caught the next strike, a knifehand strike aimed at her throat, and countered with a clumsy kick to Eris's stomach.  Her injured leg protested loudly, but held up for the time being.

Gasping as the wind was driven forcefully out of her, Eris took an involuntary step back, giving Lina a precious moment to recover.  Scowling, she pulled two more daggers from her belt.  Better finish this quickly, she thought.

Seeing that she had no time to retrieve her sword, Lina instead pulled a stake from within her cloak.  Not the best weapon against a human, but desperate times and all that, she thought.  She blocked Eris's first swing and her opponent's dagger became lodged in the wood.  Sensing an opportunity to get rid of at least one of the blasted things, she pulled back hard, wrenching the knife from Eris's hand and throwing both weapons over her shoulder.

"Not bad," Eris admitted as she lunged in with the other blade.

Sidestepping her foe's attack, Lina caught Eris's arm between her own arm and body.  "Thanks," she said as she reared back and delivered a head butt to her opponent's face.  She immediately regretted her action.  Losing her hold on Eris she staggered backwards clutching her head.  "Owie!" she squeaked.  "That was really, really stupid."  An image of the stone set in Eris's circlet was clearly visible in the skin of Lina's forehead.

Seeing stars of her own, Eris staggered back.  She dropped her dagger and grabbed her throbbing head for a moment before recovering her senses.  "She really is your sister, huh Luna?" she whispered to herself as she removed the medallion from around her neck.

Dropping to one knee in her disorientation, Lina heard the hiss of the garrote wire being drawn.  Instinctively, her hands flew up just in time to keep it from cutting her throat.  Instead, the wire painfully bit into her palms, drawing blood.  "Get offa me!" she yelled angrily.  She flung herself backwards meaning to land on top of Eris, but her opponent was ready for that.

Eris fell and grunted softly when she hit the floor, but rolled with the impact and ended up standing over a kneeling Lina, which was where she wanted to be anyway.  She yanked upwards on the wire with murderous intent.

The wire finally dug into Lina's neck, eliciting a strangled gasp from the girl.  She tried to force her hands back down to give herself some air, but Eris had too much leverage.  "Dammit," she hissed.  There had to be something that she could do.

"Hold it!" Gourry yelled.  "Light come forth!"  

Lina fancied that she felt the tip of the Sword of Light brush against her throat and then she had blessed air again.  She took the opportunity to massage her throat and cough violently.

Gourry stepped over Lina to block any further attack from Eris and swung his sword again, cleaving cloth and leather, but barely missing flesh.

"You'd be wise to stay out of this," Eris growled, dropping her ruined garrote in favor holding her mangled outfit together.

Gourry grinned.  "I can't do that.  I'm her protector."  He loomed over Lina defensively to emphasize that fact.

Snorting derisively, Eris muttered, "How cute.  Mark my words, Lina.  Your knight in shining armor won't be able to save you next time."  With that, she turned and fled from the church.

"You okay, Lina?" Gourry asked, extending his hand to help the fallen Slayer to her feet.

Lina took the offered aid gratefully.  She didn't know if she'd have been able to stand on her own.  "I'm fine, Gourry."  She looked around, noticing for the first time that the swordsman was alone.  She grimaced and asked, "You lost him didn't you?" already knowing the answer.

Gourry smiled apologetically.  "Sorry, but I saw that you were in trouble and I couldn't just leave you here."  He mentally braced himself for a tirade from his companion.

Lina opened her mouth to call Gourry a stupid jellyfish, but the insult wouldn't come out.  As much as she hated to admit it, she had been about to lose the fight.  "It's okay, Gourry," she said quietly.  She smiled up at him before turning to limp slowly towards the church entrance.

Noting that Lina was in pain, Gourry hesitated for only a moment before his concern for her took precedence over self-preservation.  Closing the distance between them in two quick steps, he leaned down and scooped her up in his arms.  Squeezing his eyes shut, he braced himself for violence or at the very least, a shouting fit.  He was pleasantly surprised to receive neither.

Being far too tired to protest and honestly grateful that she didn't have to walk, Lina sighed and laid her head against Gourry's chest.  It felt so comfortable; so very safe there.  

"So what do we do now, Lina?"

"I dunno," Lina muttered exhaustedly.  "Find Diol, I guess."  Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out the significance of that woman.  She'd known Lina's sister and her knives had been silver.  She'd been a Slayer, whoever she was.  Finally deciding that it was a puzzle that could be figured out another time, she allowed her eyes to slip shut.

"Well, how are we going to do that?"

"Well," Lina said through a yawn, "we'll figure that part out in the morning.  How's that sound?"

Gourry held Lina a little closer and whispered, "Sounds good to me."

Lina didn't hear him.  She was already snoring quietly.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Lina goes home.

Notes:  Well, I'm glad that you're all still here with me.  I think that the current arc is finally starting to pick up.  I get the feeling that it's felt a little slow up to this point.  Rest assured that there's going to be plenty of action in the next few chapters.

Let's see…  I thoroughly enjoyed the end of this chapter.  Not so much the action (although that was good, or at least, I hope it was) as what happened afterwards.  And the bar scene.  That was loads of fun to write (both times.  Thanks to Pogo for making me change it for the better).

Hey, and on top of all that, I managed to get Volun back in the story AND make a "flat chested" joke.  I'll bet you all were missing that right?  *crickets chirp*  Uh, guys?

Reviewer Response:

Otaku Girl, you're scaring me…  When I say unique qualities, I'm thinking intelligent, funny, or creative.  You make it sound like you like to eat kittens or something…  You don't, do you?  Just kidding of course!  Oh, I meant to ask you last time, but have you posted any of your writing?  I'd like to read some of it sometime.

Miss Gabriev, you'll see Lina's reaction to Gourry's hard work in the next chapter.  Sorry to hear that the story's coming so slow.  I hope you get it done soon.  (only a month left in the contest you know)

Thank you Pogo for all of your help!  I sometimes think that you like the story more than I do, with all the great suggestions that you make.

Until next time!


	24. Preparations

"Lina," the voice called out from the darkness.  It spoke her name again, more insistent this time.

Another nightmare.  That's what it had to be, Lina thought.  That knowledge did little to comfort her.  "I'm here," she whispered to the dark.

Something moved in the shadows.  "Lina, why did you leave me?"  Luna strode purposefully out of the blackness.

"You… You told me to!  I remember," Lina protested.  "You told me to run!"  She suddenly found herself running down a dark alley, or rather a maze of dark alleys as she found an identical tunnel every time she rounded a corner.  "I remember this," she panted exhaustedly.  Luna had said to run.  Just before she died, she'd told Lina to run.  And so she had.  But she had not been alone.

Footsteps.  Always there were quiet footsteps echoing on the cobblestones, never more than a few turns behind her.  Firelight reflected off the walls menacingly and there was the feeling of heat.  He'd chased Lina.  The thing that had killed Luna.

"Run, little Inverse!" the flaming apparition had called out mockingly.  "I'll know your taste soon enough.  I'll have the blood in your veins and suck the marrow from your bones.  So run while you can!"  Horrible shrieking laughter echoed through the endless alley.

Lina shrieked in terror, her voice that of a girl's instead of the young woman that she knew she was.  She glanced down at herself, seeing the sadly mended clothes of her childhood.  She was a child again.  "Sis!  Mommy!" she called out without any hope of salvation.  Her pursuer was too close.

It's breaths came in long ragged hisses.  It popped and snapped as the flames eagerly consumed its flesh.  And always it closed in.  

Her vision blurred by tears of fear, she tripped over some rubbish in the alley and gone sprawling onto the cobblestones.  A sudden pain in her leg informed her that she'd skinned her knee when she fell.  Briefly, she wished with all her heart that Mommy had been there.  Mommy could have kissed hurtie better.  She would have made the monster go away too.  Lina missed her mom.  She'd been gone for several years.  And now Luna was gone too.

Lina was alone in the dark with the demon.

Shrieking, "No, no, no!" Lina turned and put her arms up defensively.  She watched in terror as the living inferno rounded the last corner.  No longer running, he seemed content to slowly stalk her.  "Leave me alone!" she pleaded.

Then the light had come.  Light so bright that it had made the flames of Lina's pursuer seem dim.  

"The light," Lina whispered tiredly as she awoke.  There was an abundance of light and she briefly wondered if the nightmare wasn't over.  Looking up, she was able to see the midday sun shining down at her through the open roof of the building.  She sighed in relief.  Daylight.  Beautiful daylight.  And the birds were chirping too. "Thank Ceiphied," she whispered as she fished a flask out of her pocket with trembling hands.  She took a long draught of the liquid within and immediately felt much better.  The nightmare was quickly fading from her mind's eye and for that she was grateful.

Looking around, Lina wondered if she was dreaming again.  This room, it was home.  But it had burned that night.  A loud snort drew her attention to the fact that someone else was in the room with her.  She spied Gourry sitting with his back against the wall a few feet away.  His head was drooping and every few seconds his chin would bump into his chest, sending him back from unconsciousness to a semi wakeful state.  Every time he did so, he would let out an aborted snore.  "Gourry?" she said quietly.

Gourry looked up at her sleepily and grinned.  "Hey."

Lina returned his smile.  "Hey yourself.  Have you been standing guard all night?" she asked, noting the dark marks under Gourry's eyes.

"Well, I wouldn't say all night," Gourry said with a shrug.  "It was already dawn by the time we got here."

Lina chuckled quietly.  "You jellyfish.  You shouldn't have done that.  You need to sleep once in a while too, you know."

Gourry shook his head and said, "I'm fine, Lina.  I'm good for another couple hours at least."  He yawned exhaustedly and slumped against the wall eliciting a laugh from Lina.

"Yeah, I can tell that you're in top form," Lina said sarcastically.  She looked around at the newly built apartment and sighed.  "This is nice though.  I wonder who finally bought the place?" she asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Me," Gourry said remembering that Zelgadis had asked that his part in this not be mentioned.

Lina glanced up at Gourry, more than a little startled.  "You?!" she asked, feeling a lump forming in her throat.  "Why'd you do that?"

Gourry shrugged.  "Well, you said that you were going to leave as soon as the thing with Hellmaster was done, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"I thought that you might decide to stay if you had a place to live."  Gourry gestured to the modest room and said, "Well, now you do, so you don't have to leave, right?"  He looked up to see Lina wiping away tears.  Oh no, he thought.  What had he done now?  "Lina?  Are you okay?"

Lina laughed and punched Gourry on the arm, a little harder than necessary.  "Jellyfish!  Of course I'm okay!" she exclaimed.

Gourry rubbed his arm and smiled hesitantly.  "So, don't you like it?"

"I love it.  So, this is what you've been working on for the last month?"

"With Amelia, yeah.  I really wanted to have it done by the time you woke up though," Gourry said regretfully as he looked at the ceiling that wasn't there.

"It's fine, Gourry," Lina said as she made her way around the room, lovingly taking in every detail.  Everything was as she remembered, but totally new at the same time.  The fireplace didn't have the loose stone that she remembered from her childhood, the boards didn't creak where they used to, even the walls seemed a little brighter than before.  Still, it was home.  She sighed happily and stretched out along the wall as if trying to hug it.  She savored the feeling of cool wood against her cheek before she turned her attention back to Gourry.  "You must have spent all your time down here to get this much done."

"That's not really true," Gourry admitted almost guiltily.  "I went back to Sylphiel's to sleep and I didn't work at all when you got really sick."

"It's really great Gourry."  Lina continued to look around the room until her gaze fell upon her cloak.  Her smile faded when she noticed the hole caused by Eris's arrow.  It brought back the memory of the previous night, the questions, the fight, and everything else that had happened.

Noting Lina's frown, Gourry said, "You know Lina, I've been thinking about that Deal guy from last night."

Lina arched an eyebrow inquisitively.  "Deal?"

"Yeah, the guy that we're looking for.  Deal, right?"

Lina sighed.  "Diol, Gourry.  It's Diol."

"Uh right," Gourry said with a nod.  "Anyway you said something about him being an important person, right?"

"That's right."

"Well, Zelgadis told me about a party tonight for a bunch of very important people.  Do you think that he might be there?"  Gourry vaguely recalled Zelgadis telling him not to mention the party to Lina, but when it came down to it, he'd much rather help her than keep his promise to Zel.

"A party…" Lina mumbled while stroking her chin thoughtfully.  Hadn't people been gossiping about a party for the High Priest being held at the capital building?  Could Zel's party be a coincidence?  Not likely.  A mischievous grin crossed her face and she said, "Gourry, we've got a party to crash."

Gourry grimaced.  Of course Lina would immediately take the situation to the extreme.  "I'm not sure that's a good idea.  We could wait around outside and see if Diol shows up, right?"

"No good," Lina said with a terse shake of her head.  "He might slip by or something and then I'd never get a hold of him."

"Lina, don't you think that Zel will be mad if we just barge in without permission?"

Lina sniffed haughtily.  "He shouldn't be because we've already been invited, Gourry."

Gourry looked at Lina suspiciously.  "Are you sure about that?"

Lina nodded excitedly.  "Of course!  If you were throwing a party, who would you invite?"

"Um, my friends?"

"That's right!  And we're Zel's friends, right?  So it's obvious that he just forgot to invite us.  It's okay though.  As busy as he's been lately, it only makes sense that he'd forget something or other.  He's only human, you know."

Gourry thought back to his conversation with Zelgadis.  Hadn't he specifically said that he and Lina were not invited to the party?  "Well, I don't know Lina," he said thoughtfully.  "Maybe this isn't a good idea.  I still think that we should just wait outside and grab Diol when he shows up."

Lina's lower lip quivered briefly as she whipped up a batch of tears.  "I can't believe you'd say something like that," she whimpered as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.  Sniffling loudly she added, "You'd snub poor Zel just because he made a simple mistake?"

Recoiling a bit at the sight of Lina's tears, Gourry frowned.  She was taking the idea that they weren't invited really hard.  How could he make her understand that Zelgadis didn't want them to be there?  A particularly loud sob on her part made him grimace.  "Okay," he said quietly.  "We can go, I guess.  Just… just stop crying, okay?"

"Yay!" Lina yelled, hopping up and down excitedly, her crocodile tears suddenly gone.  "Oh Gourry, I knew you'd see things my way!" she called out over her shoulder as she turned to gather her things.  "We're going to eat, drink, and get the bad guy.  It'll be fun!" 

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At that very moment, Zelgadis stopped in the doorway of a jewelry shop.  He felt a sudden wave of unadulterated terror wash over him.  Glancing around frantically, he half expected some demon to jump out of the throng of pedestrians.  The people moved along as if nothing were wrong.  It must be him then.

Heaving a shaky sigh, Zelgadis leaned against the wall and massaged his temples.  Stress.  It had to be the stress.  The bloody dreams he'd been having coupled with the strain of throwing together a lavish party for a man he hated could be a little overwhelming, he supposed.  But, it was going to go off without a hitch.  It was a simple party.  What could go wrong?  He stifled a near hysterical giggle and exhaustedly muttered, "I'm a dead man."

On top of all that, now Zelgadis was shopping for jewelry.  He'd never bought jewelry before.  He didn't have the foggiest idea of what Amelia would like.  He sighed and shook his head.  She'd love anything that he got her.  Somehow, that made it even harder to buy for her.  What did one get for the girl that loved everything?  "I guess that's what I'm here to find out," he grumbled as he entered the store.

The bell over the door tinkled loudly, splitting the silence of the store interior and immediately drawing unwanted attention to Zelgadis.  He glanced around at the cases lining the walls and immediately felt overwhelmed.  Rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires twinkled at him from their settings of silver and gold.  There was so much to choose from.  He briefly wondered why women couldn't be happy with one style.  

A middle-aged woman looked up at the sound of the bell and grinned.  "Good day sir!  Welcome to Cali's jewelry emporium!"  She quickly hustled over to Zelgadis, resembling nothing more than a spider with a hapless fly caught in its web.

Zelgadis looked at the woman, a mortified expression on his face.  "I've made a mistake," he informed her as he turned to leave.  Amelia would have to be happy with the dress he'd paid for.

Cali grabbed her hapless customer's wrist as he turned to flee.  "Oh, that's just not true!" she exclaimed.  "I'm sure that we can find something suitable for your lady friend."  The guy looked terrified and there was no way that she was going to let an easy sale like this out of the store.  She knew his type.  A fish out of water that would eagerly buy whatever she suggested.

Nodding shakily, Zelgadis abandoned his plans for retreat.  Cali already knew that he was buying for a woman, so maybe this wouldn't be so bad.  He looked her squarely in the eyes and calmly said, "I don't know anything about jewelry.  I want something nice though," his tone implying that he was in a hurry.

"Well, that's what I'm here for." Cali said with a smile.  This was going to be even easier than she'd thought.  Judging by his clothes, he was rich and apparently he was an idiot.  "I'm sure we can find you something nice for your lady," she said in a friendly way.  She led Zelgadis over to the display cases by his arm and asked, "Now, what does she like?"

"Everything."

"Necklaces?" Cali suggested, gesturing to one case.

Zelgadis stared at the necklaces as if he'd never seen one before.  "Okay."

Cali barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she said, "A bracelet, perhaps?"

"That sounds good," Zelgadis replied, nodding slowly.

"Maybe some earrings?"

"Yeah."

Nodding as if Zelgadis were actually being helpful, Cali said, "I'm getting an idea of what she likes now.  Come along."  She dragged him to the back of the store to where the costume jewelry was.  Nothing in the case was worth more than a couple silvers, but she didn't think that he'd notice or care.  "Now this," she said lifting a cheap silver plated necklace from the case, "is something that any young lady would love."

Zelgadis looked at the necklace suspiciously.  It didn't shimmer like the others did and Cali's grin didn't exactly inspire confidence.  He got the sneaking suspicion that she was trying to rip him off.  He glared at the woman darkly.

Cali laughed nervously.  "Sir?  Is there some kind of problem?"

She kept talking, but Zelgadis didn't hear her words.  The blood was pounding in his ears and the corners of his vision flared red.  He had a sudden vision, terrifying in its clarity.  He saw this insolent woman torn into small pieces, her remains put on gristly display in the glass cases.  Where the earrings were on display, he saw her eyes pinned to the cushions.  The case containing the rings still had the bands on display, but now they adorned her severed fingers.  And the exquisite blood.  The walls were painted with her blood.

Zelgadis shuddered and reached out to grab Cali's wrist.  "I… I don't like this one," he hissed through clenched teeth, nodding at the fake necklace.  He eyed the exposed flesh of her throat longingly, struggling to resist the thirst that he'd fairly easily kept in check for most of his life.  Tearing his eyes away from her, he turned his attention to the more expensive jewelry in the display case by the door.  "Can we look at those?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," Cali whispered.  When Zelgadis left with his purchase a few minutes later, she didn't overcharge him.  In fact, she gave him a sizeable discount, which was something she'd never done in all her long years of business.  In her defense, she'd never had a customer that looked like he wanted to eat her before, either.

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"Le's see," Jillas muttered as looked at the tangled mass of rope sitting in front of him.  This was so complicated.  "Te red 'un goes to te small keg?  No, tha's not right."  He scratched his head in utter befuddlement.  Who knew that getting revenge was so complicated?

"Excuse me, sir," a guard said, poking Jillas in the ribs with the butt of his spear.  "What are you doing there?"  He looked at the mass of cords running from unmarked barrels in every corner of the massive chamber that eventually terminated at the mess in the middle of the floor.

Jillas looked up at the man and waved happily.  "Ello!  I'm goin' ta blow 'Ezo ta 'ell!" he explained.

"Oh," the guard said after a moment of fruitlessly trying to translate Jillas's speech.  "Well, uh, whatever you're doing, could you do it somewhere else?"  He pointed at some men who were straining to lift an ornate oak table twenty feet in length.  "They're starting to set up the tables and you're sort of in the way," he explained apologetically.

Looking around as if just noticing his surroundings, Jillas nodded and quickly began to gather up his work.  "Sorry 'bout that, boss.  I'll make me bom's som'ere else 'en!"  He saluted the guard and quickly scampered off with his dangerous cargo.

"What an odd fellow," the guard remarked as he watched Jillas sit down in a corner and eagerly resume his work.  The way he spoke seemed almost animalistic, sounding more like yips and barks than actual speech, but he seemed to be quite pleasant nonetheless.  "And did he just call me 'boss?" he mumbled quizzically.  No matter.  It was time to get back to work.  You never could tell when someone suspicious might try to sneak in.

************************************************************************

Lina stared at Gourry's back, wishing that she didn't have to say what she was about to say.  They'd found out the details about Zelgadis's party.  Given the fact that it was all that the people were talking about, it was hard not to really.  It seemed that the gala was open to the ecclesiastical class only.  That meant that Diol would almost certainly be there.  In turn, that meant that she had work to do before they crashed the party tonight.  Quick work judging by the position of the sun.  It was already early afternoon.  She wanted to put the unpleasant task off for as long as possible, but she had to know before she confronted Diol.  Nervously clearing her throat, she said, "Gourry, there's something that I have to do before tonight."

Gourry nodded as he threaded his way through the crowded streets of Sairaag.  "Sure Lina.  Where are we going?"  He put a warning hand on her shoulder to keep her from being bowled over by a much larger man.  "Watch yourself."

"Thanks," Lina muttered.  "Um, I kind of need to do this by myself."  She grimaced, knowing exactly what he would say.  

"Are you leaving?" Gourry asked quietly, not even breaking stride.  "Because I told you that I'm not leaving your side."

"No, it's not that.  I, um, I have some… family business to take care of and I'd really like to do it alone."

Gourry sighed.  "Sure Lina.  Are you sure that you don't want me to go with you?  I can help.  You know, if you get tired or something."

Lina shook her head.  Gourry knew what she had to do.  She was silently grateful that he didn't mention what her task was.  It was gristly enough just thinking about it and if she actually heard it voiced, well, she might lose her nerve.  "I'll meet you back here later," she said as she turned and plunged into the anonymity of the crowd.

Watching for fleeting flashes of her crimson hair in the sea of humanity, Gourry briefly wondered if Lina would come back.  It might be too much for her to bear.  "I wonder if she has a shovel?" he muttered while scratching his head.

After all, it'd be really hard to exhume Luna without a shovel.

************************************************************************

Amelia twirled in front of the full-length mirror, giggling happily.  "Oh wow, it's so pretty," she said breathlessly.

The dress was an elaborate work of art, sky blue and trimmed with lace.  The skirt was a mass of elaborate frills and that billowed out around Amelia's legs.  The strapless top was low cut with dark blue lace running along the edge of the fabric.  It was a little too low cut in her modest opinion.

"Oh, it's fine," Martina said, noting the way that Amelia was blushing.  "He's going to love it!  You worry too much."

"Do you think so?"

"Of course!  I, the great and powerful seer Martina, saw the two of you together.  It's destiny, so it stands to reason that this dress is perfect!"

"How do you figure that?" Amelia asked curiously as she tried to pat down some of the more elaborate frills in the skirt.  She'd never had a dress this fancy before and she wasn't quite sure if it was supposed to be that bulky.

Martina sniffed haughtily as if it should be obvious.  "Well, because once the future's been unveiled, it's pretty much set in stone.  There's no escaping fate, you know."

Frowning, Amelia wondered briefly if that was true.  "No escaping fate," she whispered to herself.  Lina's unhappy prophecy loomed in her mind.  She was startled out of her brooding by Martina's next words.

"You know, you could show up to the party wearing nothing but a smile and it'd be the right thing to do."  Martina grinned mischievously and elbowed Amelia in the ribs.  "He'd probably appreciate that, don't you think?"  

Amelia blushed and glanced towards the door of the changing room.  "Don't say stuff like that!  Someone might hear you!" she whispered while continuing to fidget uncomfortably in the gown.

"I'm just pointing out the fact that fate is fate."  Martina grimaced and gently slapped Amelia's hands away from the dress.  "Ooh, don't do that!" she admonished as she set about straightening the gown out again.  "It's perfect the way it is."  She looked her friend over one last time before nodding in satisfaction.  "Good enough.  Now, you have the money, right?"

"Yeah, it's right over there," Amelia said, pointing at the purse sitting atop her old clothes.  "How much is this anyway?"

Smiling playfully, Martina said, "If you have to ask, it's probably too much," as she began to count out the payment for the dress.

"That's not funny, Martina!" Amelia said, getting a little annoyed with her friend.  "How much?"

Martina quoted Amelia an outrageous amount.

"T-That's okay," Amelia stammered, suddenly feeling incredibly ill.  "I'll find something else to wear…"  She began the arduous task of removing the dress feeling more than a little disappointed.  It was beautiful, but she'd never seen that much money in her life.

Martina scowled and said, "Don't you dare!  He didn't give you all that money so that you could wear some second rate rag you know.  Sit still and I'll be back in a second."  With that, Martina swept out of the changing room to pay the shopkeeper.

************************************************************************

"Bah!  I can't believe that I'm expected to go to these stupid social functions," Diol growled as he fumbled with the ties on his formal robe of office.  "Don't they understand that I have important work to do?" he asked Vrumugun's still form.

Diol glanced down at his hands and rolled his eyes in irritation.  They were still caked with blood and he'd smeared it all over the front of his outfit.  "Blast!  I tell you, if it's not one thing, it's another!"  He snatched up a grimy rag and began to dab at the gore, managing to smear it more than he cleaned it up.  Finally deciding that the crimson streaks wouldn't be too objectionable, he tossed the rag on the floor and made his way through the clutter to the door.  "I expect that I'll have to stay at this thing until dawn," he grumbled unhappily.  "Honestly, if I get any more behind in my work…"

The sound of the door slamming muffled the rest of Diol's diatribe and for a few moments, the dirty little chamber was still.  Then there was movement.  Or it may have been a trick of the light.  Either way, just for the scantest of moments, it appeared as if Vrumugun's left eye had twitched.

************************************************************************

A single flickering candle barely illuminated Xellos's parchment.  "And thus, doing battle in the chaotic fires of Hell itself, Lina Inverse cast down the Hellmaster and brought peace to the world once again."  Xellos nibbled on the tip of his quill thoughtfully before continuing.  "The fatally wounded Slayer was then snatched from the jaws of death by the Flare Dragon and returned to her home to mend.  And the story of Lina Inverse continues."  He blew on the page to dry the ink and chuckled.  Maybe the bit about Lina being saved by Ceiphied was a bit of an exaggeration, but this was supposed to be an inspirational story.  Some embellishments here and there were to be expected.  "Besides," he said with a chuckle, "nobody wants to hear how Lina was saved by a-oh?"

Something had changed in the chamber.  The air seemed a little heavier and held the faint smell of death.

Scowling, Xellos turned to see what had caused the disturbance in the perfect order of his sanctuary.  He gasped in surprise to see a figure in a white cloak standing mere inches away from him.  His elbow jerked, knocking the inkwell over and saturating a whole evening's work with black fluid.  He didn't even notice.  "You," he whispered angrily.

The figure smiled enigmatically under its hood and cocked its head thoughtfully.  "I remember you."  Its smile faded as dark memories of the priest came back.

"What are you doing here?" Xellos demanded as he turned and began to sponge off his parchment with the corner of his cloak.

"Betrayer," the figure hissed with barely restrained fury.

Giving up his efforts to salvage his writings, Xellos turned back to the intruder and put on one of his most infuriating grins.  "Oh my heavens!  Are you still mad about that?  I'd expect you to be over it by now."

"You let me die."

"To make an omelet you have to break a few eggs, you know."  Xellos turned and began to clear away the ruined papers on his desk.  "I knew that you couldn't do what was necessary."

"So you cast me aside."

Xellos laughed aloud.  "Well, of course!  Are you just now figuring that out?"

"Her," the figure said, nodding at a page on Xellos's desk.  "Will you betray her, too?"

Xellos glanced down at the page to see Lina's name written in his neat script.  It was the only thing discernable in the mess of ink.  He smirked and said, "If it served my master's will, I'd strangle her in her sleep.  Now, if you're quite done, I have work to do."  He pointedly turned his back on the intruder and sat back down at his desk.  "Kindly show yourself out."  He felt cold eyes boring into his back for a moment, before a quiet rustle betrayed the fact that his foe had departed.  "Rezo," he growled, sounding uncharacteristically angry.

************************************************************************

Gourry tentatively reached out and put a hand on Lina's shoulder.  "Hey Lina, are you okay?"  Since she'd returned from her task, she'd been uncharacteristically silent.  Her hands and face had been streaked with dirt, so he knew that she'd done what she set out to do.  The only question was, what had she found?

Lina shrugged Gourry's hand off and nodded at a woman walking down the street.  "There.  She'll do."

"Do for what, Lina?" Gourry asked as he scrutinized the woman.  She was kind of short and skinny with an ill-tempered look about her.  Under her arm she carried a plainly wrapped package and a roll of parchment.

Rolling her eyes impatiently, Lina growled, "My disguise, dummy.  Do you think that we're just going to waltz into the party or what?"

Gourry shook his head in irritation.  "Hold on a second.  What's this about a disguise now?"

"Well, if you have a better way to get into a high security event like this, I'd love to hear it."  She crossed her arms and cocked her head, waiting for Gourry's answer.

Sighing resignedly, Gourry muttered, "I just don't understand why we always end up doing something illegal.  Can't you make things simple for once?"

Lina rolled her eyes and said, "Gourry just shut up and follow me." before slipping into the throng of pedestrians.  She darted forward, nimbly threading her way through the crowd.  "Excuse me.  Pardon me."

"Well…" Gourry said, trying to think of something to distract Lina.  She was looking at her unsuspecting target predatorily and that made him incredibly nervous for some reason.  "How do you know that she has an invitation?"

Lina nodded at a parcel that the woman carried under her arm.  "She's got a letter bearing the church seal.  It's got to be an invitation, right?"  She quickened her pace until she was just behind the woman.

Gourry nodded when he saw the parchment.  "Now how did I miss that?" he muttered quizzically.

"Excuse me," Lina said to the woman, using her sweetest voice, "I'm new in town and I was wondering if-"

"Get lost, you little alley cat," the woman replied without even breaking stride.

Lina stopped short and blinked in surprise.  "Well," she muttered while drawing her sword.  "That was rude."  Sounding more than a little angry, she called out, "Hey!  Hold up a sec!"

"What are you doing?" Gourry hissed in Lina's ear as they ran after the woman.

"What does it look like?  I'm negotiating!"  Winking at Gourry mischievously, Lina darted forward and cracked the woman on the back of the skull with the hilt of her sword.

"God, Lina!" Gourry yelled as he glanced around at the throng of wide-eyed onlookers.  "She, um, she owes my friend some money," he explained with a nervous chuckle.

Lina had the protesting woman in a headlock and was hitting her over the head repeatedly while yelling, "Come on!  Give me your damn clothes!"

Gourry gave the onlookers a pained grin and added, "It's a lot of money."  Deciding that things had gone a little too far, he stepped in and grabbed Lina by the arm.  "Lina, I think that she's had enough."

"No she hasn't!  She's still struggling!" Lina growled through gritted teeth.  She jerked the woman's head to the left and then to the right, using her weight to drag the hapless woman to the ground.  "Jeez, are you even human?!" she asked as she struck the flailing woman yet again.  "Cut it out!"

Gourry was about to pull Lina off when a firm hand on his shoulder drew his attention.  "Huh?" he said, turning to find himself nose to nose with Zangulus.

"G-Gourry?!" Zangulus sputtered when he recognized the swordsman.  "What do you think you're doing?"

"Well, uh, you see, it's like this," Gourry hastily tried to explain.  He was cut off by an enthusiastic yell from Lina.

"Gourry that's great!" Lina exclaimed.  "He looks like he's about your size!"  A moment later, she grimaced in pain and struck the protesting woman again.  "Hey, no biting!"

Zangulus grimaced when he saw Lina holding the now unconscious party guest.  "Oh god!  Not the psycho!"

"Psycho?" Lina said with a frown.  "Gourry, what have you been telling him?"

Gourry quickly defused the situation by rendering Zangulus unconscious with a punch to the jaw.  

A few moments later, Gourry and Lina were changing their clothes in the relative privacy of a nearby alley.

"Lina, could you please explain to me again why I just assaulted a guard?" Gourry asked with a pained expression on his face.  He took a deep breath and painfully squeezed into Zangulus's breastplate.  They weren't as similar in size as Lina would have him believe.

"Jellyfish, how else do you think that we're getting into the party?"  Lina broke the seal on her invitation and scanned the paper briefly.  "What the hell?" she mumbled quizzically as she turned her attention to the package the woman had been carrying.  After unwrapping it, she snarled, "Oh, you have got to be kidding!"

************************************************************************

Minding the cemetery wasn't exactly the most stressful job.  After all, it's not like the residents were going to get up and walk away or anything.  Well, aside from the strangeness a month ago that was.  But the people of Sairaag made a point of not talking about that.  Bad things happen sometimes and to dwell on them only invited further disaster.

So it was quite upsetting when the poor groundskeeper came across freshly turned earth during his rounds in the graveyard.  A mound of dirt lay beside an open grave.  A few feet away, a shovel lay on the ground, its haft violently snapped in two.  "Ceiphied save us, what's happened now?" he muttered darkly as he held his torch up to illuminate the name carved on the marker of the disturbed grave.  "Luna Inverse," he read aloud.  "Poor dear.  Nobody has any respect for the dead anymore."  He peered into the grave, ignoring the scent of old death.  One got used to it in this business.

Luna's coffin was a cheap piece of work so carelessly crafted that the lid had barely latched when they had closed it.  In her defense, there had been little money to buy one with.  Lina hadn't been wealthy by any stretch of the imagination and Xellos had been unable to raise much money through donations.  Luna had been a good person, but few people appreciated what she had done, as was often the case in Sairaag.

At the moment, it didn't matter if the lid latched or not.  It was flung wide open revealing the interior of the Spartan casket.  Luna's coffin was empty.

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Next Chapter:  The dance

Notes:  Hmm, the plot thickens, eh?  I hope everyone has gotten their fill of Xellos.  I think he's going to be missing for the next few chapters.  Don't ask why.  It's a secret.

The beginning of the chapter in Lina's home was nice.  Or at least I hope it was.  It ended up a bit different than I had originally written it, but I think it's better this way.  After all, nobody wanted to see Lina have to kill Gourry after he became possessed, right?  Oops, I probably shouldn't have said that…

My favorite part is the end though.  I had a big stupid grin on my face as I was writing the "Lina vs. the party guest" scene.  It's one of those throwaway scenes that are just enjoyable to write.

Reviewer Response:

Raven, I'm so incredibly pleased that you found the chapter to be amusing.  I sometimes wonder if the humor is funny at all.

Stara, that line about Volun taking a powder was just horrible.  Almost as bad as some of my puns.  So, of course I was laughing like an idiot when I read it.  I've got to stop doing that at work.

Miss Gabriev, you've already watched TRY all the way through?  Yeesh.  How'd you like it compared to the other seasons?  Glad you enjoyed the chapter.

A Happy New Year to you as well, Otaku girl!  In answer to your question about Zel's secret, I'll just say that it's not very secret anymore.  And the party was extremely fun and interesting to write.  Take that how you will.

Unearthly Emperor?  Um, do I need to bow or anything?  As always, I'm immensely pleased to hear from a new reader.  Glad you're enjoying the story!

*whistles innocently*  You don't want me to say what, Pogo?  Oh, that you're crazy, right?  Fear not, you're no nuttier than usual.  I did add to the bar scene.  Specifically, I added Gourry and Lina's discussion of how she got there when she was supposed to be in bed.  Your comments help me a lot, and yes I do sometimes find myself pulling at my hair muttering, "What the hell is she thinking?!"  But the story always ends up better after I look over your suggestions, so it's worth it.  Thanks for sticking with it and I hope that you really are up for betaing a year's worth of chapters.  See?  You didn't think about that, did you?

Until next time!


	25. The Dance

Zelgadis waited outside the building, nodding tersely and mumbling halfhearted greetings to party guests.  Amelia was late.  His mind raced.  She'd gotten lost.  She'd changed her mind.  Some disaster had befallen her.  Why'd he agree to meet her here?  He should have been escorting her from the circus.  He slumped against the massive base of the statue of Ceiphied and covered his eyes.  "Why can't anything be simple?" he complained to nobody in particular.

Amelia coughed quietly and said, "Mister Zelgadis?"

Looking up with an expression of relief on his face, Zelgadis whispered, "Amelia."  He gazed at her, trying to take in every detail of the girl's appearance.  From the elaborate gown that seemed as if it had been made for her and her alone to the simple chain draped around her neck, everything seemed so perfect.  He dragged his gaze upwards until he was looking at her angelic face.  Her usually unruly raven hair was pulled back from her face making her loving smile seem all the brighter.  Noticing the slight flush of red in her cheeks, he realized that he was staring and quickly found an interesting patch of ground to look at.  "You look nice this evening."

"Do you think so?" Amelia asked shyly.

"Absolutely," Zelgadis said with a quick nod.  He sighed and began to go through his pockets.  He'd almost forgotten about it.  "I have something for you," he explained, noting Amelia's puzzled expression.

"You didn't have to get me anything.  I think I spent too much on the gown already."

"It was worth it."  Zelgadis smiled as he found what he was looking for.  "Here."  He produced a small box from within his cloak and put it in Amelia's hand.  "Open it."

Amelia nodded and opened the lid.  An instant later, her face lit up.  "Oh, it's beautiful!"  Within the box lay a small bracelet of silver inlaid with numerous sapphires.

Zelgadis sighed in relief.  Thank Ceiphied.  She liked it.  As he fastened the band around Amelia's wrist, he explained, "It's a token of thanks for coming with me tonight.  I'll do my best to get us out of here as soon as possible.  It's just that I'm obligated to make an appearance, you understand."

Amelia nodded slowly, not quite sure what Zelgadis meant.  Why was he obligated to show up to a party?  He could just say no, right?

"I haven't been totally honest with you," Zelgadis said as they climbed the stairs leading to the door.  "I'm not really who I say I am."

"You're not Zelgadis?" Amelia asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"No, it's not that, but well… you'll see in a second."  Zelgadis grimaced, remembering something else.  He hastily said, "I probably didn't mention this either, but the High Priest is going to be in attendance."  Seeing Amelia's panicked expression, he said, "Don't worry about it though.  He won't say anything to you.  You just have to remember to be respectful in his presence.  Bow when he passes and whatnot."

Feeling light headed and more than a little confused, Amelia took Zelgadis's arm to steady herself.  She wondered what she had gotten herself into as he led her through the double doors leading into the ballroom.  "Oh wow," she whispered as she saw the interior of the chamber.

Grand pillars of marble twenty feet in diameter stretched to the arched ceiling far above the floor.  The floor itself was made of highly polished white marble, doubling the light in the chamber.  Tables ran the length of the chamber, piled high with exotic foods from every corner of the empire.  Festive streamers, painted every color of the rainbow hung from the ceiling.  But the most impressive thing was the crowd.  There had to be several hundred people milling about the floor.

Amelia held onto Zelgadis's arm more tightly.  "Oh my," she whispered as she eyed the crowd of well to do party goers.

Zelgadis leaned over to her and muttered, "It's nothing to worry about.  You probably see more people when you perform at the circus, right?"  His comment had the desired effect, as Amelia seemed to calm down a bit.

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"I swear that someone's going to die for this," Lina growled as she and Gourry made their way through the crowded room.  

"Lina, people are staring at you."  Gourry clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Could you please make an effort to appear pleasant?"  Images of being sentenced to death for being too close to the High Priest without permission ran through his head.

"Alright," Lina hissed through clenched teeth.  She put on a big cheesy grin and yelled, "Cocktails anyone?  Wine?"  Drinks swaying precariously on her tray, she struggled to keep her balance on the stupidly high heels that she was wearing.  "Sis, how did you do this?" she muttered to herself.

Trying to suppress a grin, Gourry quickly stole a glance at his partner's new attire.  Her fiery hair was tied with a black ribbon in a loose ponytail at the neck, similar to all the other girls working in the room.  She was clothed in a short black skirt with a matching short sleeve blouse.  Over that, she wore a sloppily tied white apron.  He'd offered to help her with it, but she'd been none to happy to have him "peeping" at her as she called it.  Her legs were clad in dark stockings that served to both conceal the minor scars and make them look less skinny at the same time.  He could tell by the way that she'd been looking at herself that this was the worst for her.  That and the fact that she was wearing short sleeves.  She'd never liked exposing skin, although for the life of him, Gourry couldn't understand why.  He thought that she looked quite pretty, although he didn't dare suggest that to her.

"Wine?" Lina called out again.  "Oh wow!  Thanks mister!" she said cheerily as one of the ministers took a drink and dropped a few silver coins on her tray.  Her expression darkened as soon as she was out of sight of the man.  "Damn heels from hell," she mumbled as her ankles wobbled dangerously.

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High over the ballroom floor hung an elaborate chandelier of brass.  Numerous candles burned brightly within it.  In addition to providing illumination, it also served as a fine vantage point to watch the room, provided that one was relatively light.

Jillas probably weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet, so he found the chandelier to be quite comfortable.  He glanced at the ceiling and grinned.  Carefully concealed amidst the brightly colored streamers, fuses ran from his perch to all four corners of the ballroom.  All it would take was a touch of the candle and then…

"Boom!" Jillas said cheerfully.  "Gonna bring th' 'ouse down on all o' you idjits!  Jus' you wait 'Ezo!"  He began to laugh maniacally and tumbled over the edge of the chandelier.  "Mummy!" he yelped as he barely caught onto one of the brass candleholders.

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"It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Lord Zelgadis Greywords, Chief Minister of Sairaag and…"  The herald's brow furrowed in thought and he leaned over and whispered, "What was your name Miss?"

Amelia stared at the herald, her eyes wide in shock.  Her brain struggled to process what she'd just heard.  Lord Zelgadis?  Minister?  Oh dear, everyone was staring at her.  Her name?  That's what they were waiting for.  He'd asked her for her name.  She briefly wondered what her name was before opening her mouth and quietly squeaking, "A-Ameliawilteslaseyruun."

The herald grimaced and hesitantly announced, "The Lady Emily Wiltesa Seirose."

"That's not it," Amelia quietly protested as Zelgadis gently led her away from the entrance.  "He got it wrong Mister Zelgadis!"

"That's fine," Zelgadis replied as he led her through the crowd.  

"But," Amelia whispered as she glanced back at the herald, "What if somebody finds out?  I don't want him to get in trouble for making a mistake."

"It's alright, Amelia." Zelgadis said while patting the acrobat's hand reassuringly.  "Nobody's here to see us anyway," he explained.  A hush fell over the room as he nodded at the entryway.  "They're here for him," he whispered coldly.  With that, he dropped to one knee and lowered his head.

Amelia looked up to see the High Priest enter the room.  Etiquette was momentarily forgotten, as she remained standing, the only person still doing so aside from a certain flame haired waitress and a guard at the back of the room.

Her brow furrowed in thought, Amelia stared at Rezo, feeling incredibly uneasy for some reason.  Something about the man felt wrong.  An instant later, it hit her.  He was impossibly perfect.  His features were utterly flawless and there was absolutely no wasted motion in his actions.  She fancied that Rezo's eyes focused on her briefly as he scanned the room and her knees suddenly felt as if they had turned to jelly.    A moment later, she dropped to a kneeling position, not so much out of respect as compulsion.

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"It's really him," Lina whispered in awe.  "Rezo, High Priest of the church."  Somehow, she managed to kneel without spilling any of the drinks on her tray.

"So that's the High Priest?  I thought he'd be taller," Gourry said, scratching his head thoughtfully.

Lina gasped in horror when she saw that the jellyfish was still standing.  Trying to be as discreet as possible, she punched him in the back of the knee, making him crouch down in pain.  "Bait for brains!" she hissed in his ear angrily, "Do you want to be executed for slighting the High Priest?!"

Gourry looked at Lina nervously and shook his head silently.  He massaged his injured knee and whispered, "I just wanted to look at him.  Why's he so important anyway?"

"The High Priest of the Church of Ceiphied is the most holy man alive," Lina quietly explained.  "Disrespecting him is like disrespecting Ceiphied Himself.  You could be executed for it, or worse, cast out of the church."

"How can that be worse than being executed?" Gourry asked.  He rubbed his neck nervously, wondering how much it hurt to lose one's head.

"Death is one thing," Lina hissed.  "But, I'd rather die than be cast out of the church.  It means that you've been denied any chance of salvation or comfort.  For the rest of your short life you're hounded by all who are loyal to Ceiphied.  Assisting an outcast makes you an outcast yourself, after all.  Worst of all, the gates of Heaven are closed to you.  Hell is all that awaits you in the afterlife."  She hugged herself and whispered, "I never want to see that place again."

"He can do that?!" Gourry gasped.

"Lower your voice!" Lina commanded.  "Yes, he can do that.  To demonstrate His benevolence to humanity, Ceiphied gave us the High Priest to show us how to live.  And since Rezo's judgment is considered above reproach, whatever he says in our world, Ceiphied has agreed to uphold in Heaven."

Gourry stared at Lina blankly.

"Yes, Gourry," Lina growled dangerously.  "The short answer is, yes he can do that.  Now, bow your head."  She sighed happily as she gazed at Rezo.  "Sis met him about ten years ago, when she first entered the service of the church.  She told me what a great man he is.  So kind and noble.  Always choosing the good of the commoner over his own well-being."  She quietly smacked her fist into her palm and said, "Ooh, I wish I could talk to him."

"Why don't you?"

Lina shook her head.  "He might be nice, but he'd have me put to death if he found out who I was."

"Oh," Gourry said with a nod.  A moment later, he asked, "Why?"

"Because I'm a rogue.  I don't work under the control of the church."

"Oh," Gourry said again.  A moment later, he asked, "Well, doesn't that make you an outcast?"

Lina suppressed a shudder and said, "Not really.  Being a rogue isn't something I feel safe sharing with people, but being cast out is reserved for the most horrible crimes.  I like to think that despite the fact that I'm not really under their control, I'm still doing Ceiphied's work.  I think that a wise man like Rezo would understand that."

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Rezo scanned the ballroom, the faintest hint of a scowl on his face.  There was so much vice and corruption in this room it was sickening.  Some of these people were long overdue for retirement.  He made a mental note to give Eris a list of potential retirees after the party.

Rezo's cultured voice rang out through the chamber.  "Ministers of Sairaag, distinguished guests, dear friends," he said, "Let us pray for guidance."  He clasped his hands together and kneeled before the assemblage.  "Oh great and benevolent Ceiphied, lend us your wisdom.  Drive out the shadows within us with your everlasting light.  Give us the strength…"

As Rezo continued his prayer, Jillas hastily made his last minute preparations.  "Gonna git ye now, ye bloody murderer," he whispered to himself as he tried to figure out which fuse led to which keg.  There were so many to choose from.  The ends were color-coded, but that hardly helped when you considered that the matching colors were on the powder kegs.  Powder kegs that were scattered about the room, away from easy access.  He didn't want to start with the wrong one; otherwise Rezo might make it out before the chain reaction brought the building down.  "Can't be havin' that now," he whispered darkly.  "Ah!" he said, finding the right cord.  "An' now, ye die, 'Ezo."  

Grinning triumphantly, Jillas stood and prepared to light the fuse.  His smile faded when he saw that Rezo had finished his speech and was making his way through the crowd exchanging pleasantries with the guests.  The powder stashed near the exit wouldn't reach him now.  "Bloody 'ell!" he yelled.  "If i' tisn't one thing, i's another!"  Luckily the orchestra had begun to play, masking his outraged yell.

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"Why didn't you tell me what you do?" Amelia asked as she and Zelgadis made their way over to the buffet table.

"Well, I did tell you that I did government work," Zelgadis said with an apologetic shrug.  "I just don't like flaunting my station.  If I mention that I'm the Chief Minister, people stumble all over themselves to do me favors.  It's pathetic and I can't stand it."

A lady's voice called out from behind Zelgadis.  "Ooh, the Chief Minister?!  Can I freshen your drink, sir?  Get you some food?  Bear your children?"

Zelgadis scowled.  "You see?" he said to Amelia as he turned.  "It's terribly annoying and-oh god!"  He clapped his hand to his mouth when he saw Lina and Gourry standing before him.

Lina glared at Zelgadis crossly.  "Well I was expecting a, 'Hey Lina, how's it going,' but that'll do I guess."  She jabbed a finger into his chest and growled, "You've got an awful lot of explaining to do, and buddy it better be good!"

"Miss Lina!  Mister Gourry!  How are you tonight?" Amelia said with a cheerful wave.

A friendly smile briefly crossed Lina's face as she returned Amelia's wave.  "Hi!"  Then her scowl fell back into place and she turned her attention back to the horrified Zelgadis.  "Well?!  I'm waiting!"

Zelgadis struggled to keep his meager lunch down as he explained.  "Well, ah, it's like this, Lina…"  Everything was going to pieces.  It was just as he had feared.

Lina watched Zelgadis squirm for a few moments before waving dismissively.  "Ah, forget about it.  Do me a favor and I'll forgive you."  She quickly reached out and wrapped him in a painful headlock.  "Listen," she whispered in a conspiratorial way, "I don't want to waste any more time than I have to.  Just tell me which one of these pompous scumbags is Diol and I'll get out of your hair, okay?"

His mouth moving wordlessly, Zelgadis stared at Lina.  She was furious, and why shouldn't she be?  Zolf had done an excellent job of motivating her, it seemed.  She was apparently ready to kill Diol, which was good.  He was an ardent supporter of Rezo and had to be eliminated.  However, she apparently wanted to do it here, at Zelgadis's party.  That was bad.  Very bad.

"Lina," Zelgadis sighed, trying to sound casual, or as casual as one could be while being physically assaulted.  "You might notice that there are a lot of people here tonight.  I don't even know if Diol was on the guest list."

Lina blinked in surprise and released Zelgadis.  "Oh," she said while rummaging around in a pocket on her apron.  "Do you mean this guest list?"  She produced a long list and pointed to Diol's name.

"Where'd you get that?!" Zelgadis demanded.

"Oh, it fell out of one of the servant's pockets and I didn't want it to get lost or anything."

"Fell out of…?" Zelgadis muttered.  He glanced up at Gourry who quickly shook his head.  He got the distinct impression that there was more to the story than Lina let on.  "I don't know where he is," he said resignedly.  "I haven't seen him tonight.  Now will you two please get away from me?"

Lina feigned a hurt expression and said, "Well, since you put it that way…  Come on, Gourry.  We'll find him ourselves."  She winked at Zelgadis and Amelia.  "Now you two have a nice time tonight and don't forget to tip your waitress."  With that, she dragged Gourry off into the crowd.

"What was that all about?" Amelia asked.  Zelgadis looked incredibly ill all of a sudden.

"I… I need air," Zelgadis gasped.  His cape felt incredibly tight around his throat and every time someone brushed up against him, it felt as if he were being suffocated.  He took Amelia's arm and led her towards the exit.  "Just a little bit of fresh air," he repeated, more to himself than anyone else as he staggered towards the door.

"Lord Greywords, I'm sure that you're not planning to leave already, are you?"

Zelgadis looked up to see Rezo standing in front of him, an amused smile on his face.  "N-no, I was just," he swallowed hard before continuing, "just going out for some air."

Rezo shook his head.  "My, my.  This certainly will not do.  I'm sure that your young friend would much rather be dancing."  He smiled at Amelia as he spoke.  Just then, the orchestra began to play a slow song.  "Ceiphied be praised!  Ask and ye shall receive," he said with a quiet chuckle.  He extended his hand to Amelia and asked, "My dear, would you give an old man the pleasure of a dance?"

Amelia stared at Rezo's outstretched hand uncomprehendingly.  The High Priest's gray eyes bored into her cerulean ones, seeming to pierce her to the core of her being.  Lost.  She was falling into those eyes.  She must have nodded, as he suddenly took her hand in his icy one and swept her away from Zelgadis onto the dance floor.

Giving Zelgadis one last cruel grin, Rezo pulled Amelia close as they began to dance.  In a moment, they were the only two on the floor as everyone else quickly scattered in fear of accidentally brushing against the High Priest.  He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "My dear, you dance divinely."

Shaking her head as if coming out of a daze, Amelia realized that, yes as a matter of fact, she was dancing.  How should she address him?  He'd complimented her and it'd be rude not to respond.  After a moment of thought she said, "Thank you, Mister High Priest sir," in a quavering voice.

Rezo laughed, a cold sound despite his apparent good humor.  "Rezo, my dear.  Please, call me Rezo.  No need for useless formalities."  He gestured for the rest of the assemblage to join him and in a moment, the floor was full of dancing couples again.

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Lina watched Amelia and Rezo with a bemused grin on her face.  "Wow, who would have guessed that Rezo was such a charmer?"  She scrunched up her nose and muttered, "What's that smell?"

Tarimu stepped out of the crowd and took a drink from Lina's tray.  He put a single copper coin on the tray, which she eyed distastefully.  "Lovely evening, wouldn't you say?"

Already sensing that there might be trouble, Lina frowned.  "It certainly is, sir.  I hope you enjoy the rest of the party."  She quickly turned to leave, but was restrained by a greasy hand on her wrist.  Scowling darkly, she turned and said, with forced politeness, "I'm sorry, was there something I could help you with?"

"What's your hurry?" Tarimu asked with a lecherous grin.  "We were just getting acquainted.  I know most of the girls very well, but I don't believe that we've met before.  Are you new?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Lina said nervously.  She glanced around, hoping to catch sight of Gourry.  She'd sent him off to search the far side of the room for Diol and, just her luck; he was nowhere to be seen.  "Well, it was nice meeting you.  I've got a lot of work to do, so I'll see you around, okay?" she said as she tried to pull her arm free of his sweaty grasp.

"No need to be shy," Tarimu said, forcefully yanking Lina towards him.

"Hey!" Lina yelped as the drinks on her tray spilled.  "Watch it!"

"Is there a problem here?"

Tarimu turned, meaning to tell the intruder to back off, but his words died in his throat.  Standing before him was a tall muscular man who looked as though he could snap the minister in half.  

Gourry scowled and repeated, "I asked you if there was a problem?" with a hint of malice in his voice.  Lina noticed that he'd ditched the constrictive armor in favor of his own clothes.  That was probably why Tarimu was intimidated.  With no sign of station or rank on his clothing, it was impossible to determine whether or not it was safe to tell him off.

"No problem," Tarimu said with a hasty shake of his head.  "The young lady and I were just getting acquainted."

Sparing Lina a quick sideways glance, Gourry growled at Tarimu, "She's spoken for."

Getting the swordsman's not so subtle hint, Tarimu nodded and beat a hasty retreat through the crowd.

"That was pretty dumb, Gourry," Lina scolded as she knelt down to pick up the spilled contents of her tray.  "He's going to cause trouble later you know.  And what's the idea of taking off your disguise?  Do you want us to get caught?"

Gourry fetched a deep sigh of resignation and knelt down beside Lina.  "Lina, would it kill you to say thanks once in a while?" he asked as he helped her gather the glasses.

Lina looked at Gourry guiltily and muttered, "Well, no.  But…"  She snorted, her fierce independent steak taking over.  "I could have handled that myself.  I was just about to ask him where Diol was when you butted in."

"And then?" Gourry asked, raising an eyebrow.  "What then?"

"I would have gotten rid of him," Lina said with a nod.  "Simple as that."

"Oh, I see," Gourry said.  He nodded at something behind Lina and said, "And when that happened, what would you have done?"

Lina looked over her shoulder to see Tarimu harassing another poor girl.  As she watched, the fat toad kissed the disgusted waitress.  Quickly looking away, she stammered, "I-I would have made him sorry.  He's lucky he didn't try that with me."

"So, let me see if I have this straight.  You were about to hit a minister of Ceiphied, is that right?  How do you think that would have gone over with the guards?  Or the High Priest for that matter?"

"I… well, I… I… I'm sorry, Gourry," Lina whispered contritely.  A long moment later, she added, "Thanks."

Gourry took Lina by the arm and helped her to her feet.  "Don't worry about it."  He looked around at the couples around them thoughtfully before asking, "Hey, do you want to dance?"

Blushing furiously, Lina hissed, "No, I don't!  I'm supposed to be serving drinks, remember?"  She pointed to her tray for emphasis.

"Lina, all those glasses are empty.  Just leave it there and come dance with me."  

Lina looked at her tray and scowled.  He had a point.  That arrogant minister made her spill everything when he grabbed her arm like that.  "I'll just go and get some more.  I'll get in trouble if someone catches me.  Do you want to blow our cover or what?"

Gourry glanced around the room briefly before pointing out, "None of the other girls are working and they're not in any trouble."

It was true.  Most of the other serving girls were already dancing.  It seemed that not all the guests were as lecherous as Tarimu as most of them appeared to be having a good time.  The girls that were still working watched their luckier companions with no small amount of jealousy.

"Focus, Gourry!" Lina growled, snapping her fingers in front of the swordsman's face.  "We're here to find Diol, remember?"

"Oh, that's right."  Gourry scratched his head briefly before smiling.  "You know, I'll bet that he's probably out there dancing.  That's why you haven't been able to find him yet.  Come on.  Let's go look."  Gourry took Lina's hand and gently led her out onto the floor.

"Gourry!" Lina yelled, digging in with her heels while desperately trying to think of something to deter him.  After a moment, she yelped, "I don't know how to dance!" sounding almost triumphant.  That would surely stop jellyfish brains.  She'd never danced in her life.  There'd never been much reason to.

Gourry frowned and for a brief instant, Lina had hope.  "Oh," he said almost sadly.  A moment later, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "To tell you the truth, I don't either."  Smiling warmly, he swept her into his arms.  "I guess we'll just learn as we go, huh?"

Lina stared at Gourry, her eyes as big as saucers.  "You're crazy," she whispered.  Despite her nervousness, the fingers of her left hand interlaced with his, seemingly of their own volition.  Her right hand crept up until it rested on his shoulder.  A few strands of his blond hair brushed against her fingers and she instinctively latched onto them eliciting a small hiss of pain from her partner.

Seeing the raw terror in Lina's eyes and feeling her tense up against him, Gourry whispered, "Hey, take it easy," while smiling at her warmly.  He could feel her trembling and gently stroked her fiery hair in an attempt to calm her down a little.  "What are you afraid of?"

"I… I'm not afraid," Lina whispered almost inaudibly.  If possible, her eyes seemed to grow even larger when she felt Gourry's hand come to rest on her waist.

"You're not in any danger, you know.  I promise that I won't let you fall.  Come on."  Gourry nodded at a couple dancing beside them.  "See?  It's a slow dance.  It should be easy.  Let's just do what they do."

Hesitantly nodding, Lina turned to watch the couple's feet.  It didn't look so hard, she realized after a moment.  Three slow steps and then a turn.  She could manage that, couldn't she?  Sighing in relief, she shyly looked up into Gourry's eyes, the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"That's better," Gourry said with a satisfied nod.  "Let's try it."

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The High Priest and the acrobat appeared to glide across the floor, seemingly unhindered by gravity.  They dipped and twirled, putting all the other dancers to shame.  

Rezo smiled as he and Amelia began to dance to another slow song.  It was their fourth dance of the evening.  He reached down and ran a finger along the edge of the gold band hanging from the chain around Amelia's neck.  "Miss Amelia, what is that intriguing trinket that you carry?"

Amelia glanced down at the ring and smiled.  "It was my father's."  Pointing to the band, she explained, "The markings are-"

"Seyruunian," Rezo interjected. A shadow briefly crossed his face as he muttered, "How… fascinating."

"You know about Seyruunian?!" Amelia practically shouted.

Rezo winced and glanced around at the people that were now staring at him and Amelia.

"Sorry," Amelia whispered. 

"You sound surprised," Rezo said with a quiet chuckle. "You shouldn't be.  I've made a point of learning as much about our history as possible. After all, how am I to lead us into the future without knowing where we've been?"

"I'm sorry.  It's just that it's a dead language. Nobody's used in for a thousand years."

Rezo nodded slowly.  "Very true. A dead language for a dead people. Which makes me wonder. Where did your father acquire such a rare and valuable treasure?"

"It's actually a family heirloom. My father got it from his father. It's always been in my family. That's what my Uncle Christopher told me."

"And your Uncle Christopher?  What does he do?"  The warmth in Rezo's voice had slipped away at some point in the conversation.

Sensing that something was amiss, Amelia frowned.  Rezo held her hand a little more tightly than before.  And had he been looming over her like that the entire time?  She didn't think so.  "Well, he runs a circus.  The Seyruun Family Circus.  Haven't you heard of it, sir?"  Unconsciously, she'd dropped the use of his name.  He didn't seem quite as pleasant as she remembered.

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Zelgadis watched Rezo dance with Amelia, struggling to come to grips with the gamut of emotions that he was feeling.  He was happy that she was having a good time and yet, he felt incredibly jealous of his father at the same time.  On top of that, he was terrified.  Terrified of what Rezo would do to him, if he found Lina here.  Terrified of what the priest might do to Amelia, should she say something wrong.

"Damn it all," Zelgadis snarled as he snatched a goblet of wine off a nearby serving girl's tray.  He drained the cup in one long draught, uncaring of the fact that the fluid spilled down the front of his dress shirt, staining it blood red.

"A fine party, Greywords!" Tarimu practically bellowed into Zelgadis's ear.  The smell of liquor hung about him, almost masking the sour odor that usually followed him.  Almost.

Barely suppressing the desire to throttle the man, Zelgadis turned and glared into Tarimu's bloodshot eyes.  "I'm glad you're enjoying it," he said icily.  Something was wrong.  The odious little man seemed even happier than usual.

"There are going to be some changes around here," Tarimu explained.  "I talked to Rezo this morning.  He's as wise as I've heard."  Fixing Zelgadis with a meaningful glare, he added, "He is well aware of who is loyal to him and who is not.  I expect there are going to be some changes in management very soon."  Laughing in his superior's face, he reached for a goblet of wine.  "Here's to the future," he sneered, raising his glass to Zelgadis mockingly.

Zelgadis had taken more than enough.  He grabbed the front of Tarimu's robe and snarled, "Get away from me, you toad!" before violently shoving him.  He watched with no small amount of satisfaction as the startled Tarimu stumbled back into the throng, taking several people with him as he fell.

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Gourry and Lina danced on, almost as if they'd been doing it their entire lives.  Practicing swordplay had made them quite nimble, easily up to the task of learning a simple waltz.  Other couples that watched them would have been surprised to learn that they'd never danced before.  They seemed to be so right together.  Lina with her cheek lying against Gourry's chest.  Him with his chin comfortably nestled amidst the coppery curls atop her head.  Their bodies so close to one another.

Lina had her eyes closed, happy just feeling Gourry's chest rise and fall against her face.  All thoughts of finding Diol were temporarily forgotten, her attention now focused on savoring every nuance of her current situation.  The warmth of Gourry's hands and the gentle way that he held her, almost as if she were glass.  The comforting sound of his heartbeat drumming quietly in her ear.  The bit of his golden hair that spilled down the front of his shirt, tickling her nose.

Slowly, Lina became aware that a single violin was playing a lonely melody.  She smiled dreamily, realizing that she didn't feel so alone anymore.  Her smile faded only slightly when she realized what she had to do.  "Gourry?" she whispered.

"Yeah, Lina?"

Swallowing hard, Lina forced out her words.  "I… I'm really sorry that I hit you yesterday."

"Oh, okay."  Gourry thought for a moment before asking, "Which time?"

Lina cringed, feeling incredibly guilty.  She had hit him a lot yesterday, hadn't she?  "All of them," she said, unconsciously pressing herself more closely against him.  "I'm sorry for all of them."

"Hey, it's alright," Gourry said, briefly holding Lina more tightly for emphasis, "I probably deserved some of them, right?"

A smug grin crossed her face and Lina looked up into Gourry's eyes.  "You got that right!" she said with a nod.  "You're actually lucky that I let you off as easily as I did!"

"Yeah, I'll bet." Gourry said with a chuckle.  A moment later, he asked, "So, what'd I do, Lina?"

Shivering ever so slightly, Lina broke eye contact with her protector and hesitantly explained, "Well… you… you kinda hurt me."  Seeing a look of self-loathing cross his face, she mentally cursed herself and quickly shook her head.  "Not 'hurt' me," she hastily corrected, "but… you hurt me.  Does that make any sense?"

Gourry looked down at Lina, slowly realizing what she was trying to say.  "I get it," he said with a satisfied nod.  "I hurt your feelings, right?"

Lina nodded happily and buried her face in Gourry's chest.  She sighed in relief, feeling incredibly grateful that he understood.  Thank goodness she didn't have to tell him how much she'd worried over coming between him and Sylphiel, or how she laid awake at night, wondering what it would have been like to kiss him.  Or that-

"It was the flat chested thing, wasn't it?  Oh Lina, I'm sorry."  Gourry pulled a thunderstruck Lina back to arms length and said, "I didn't even know that you heard that."  He looked her in the eyes and explained, "They are kinda small, but it's not that big a deal."  Laughing aloud, he added, "I mean, it's not like every girl can have a knockout body, right?

Gourry was spared his untimely and most likely gruesome death by the impact of someone slamming into him.  He and Lina staggered briefly before turning to see a furious Zelgadis standing amidst the fallen partygoers.

"Never come near me again!" Zelgadis snarled at the fallen Tarimu.  "Or so help me, I'll feed you your entrails!"  He took a threatening step towards the fallen man.

"Zel!" Lina yelled, trying to distract the furious Chief Minister.  She'd seen him like this before, back when they'd fought against Grou.  He looked up at her quizzically, and she sighed in relief.  He wasn't too far gone, then.  "Just calm down," she said in a soothing voice.  "It's going to be alright."

"Lina?  What are you-?"

Rezo's hand clamped down on Zelgadis's shoulder and he spun the much smaller man around to face him.  "What's the meaning of this?!" he snarled, his face contorted into a mask of hatred.  He held Zelgadis in one hand while his other was tightly clamped around Amelia's wrist.  "Did you think that I wouldn't find out about her?" he demanded, shaking the girl for emphasis.

Zelgadis just shook his head; not understanding in the least what Rezo was so upset about.

Amelia squeaked, "Mister Rezo sir, you're hurting my arm!"

Lina cringed at the sight of Rezo's fury.  This was supposed to be the man that Sis had told her was so kind and noble?  "Hey, leave them alone, you jackass!" she yelled before realizing to whom she was talking.

Music, conversation, dancing, everything ceased in the wake of Lina's outrageous comment.  The only sound was a collective gasp from every single person in the chamber save Lina and Rezo.

Glancing up at the sound of Lina's voice, Rezo's face lit up in recognition.  "It's you!" he gasped in surprise.  He released his hold on Amelia and Zelgadis in favor of staring at the Slayer.

Hesitantly pointing to herself, Lina replied, "Um, me?"  How did Rezo know her?  They'd never met before.  The sight of Eris stepping out of the crowd to stand next to the High Priest interrupted her thoughts.  This time it was Lina who yelled, "It's you!" her hand instinctively reaching for a sword that wasn't there.  It was back in the alley, hidden alongside the unconscious serving girl that she'd borrowed the outfit from.

At the same moment, Eris went for her dagger.  Luckily for Lina, there weren't many hiding places on the tight gown that Eris was wearing and she was also unarmed.  The two Slayers glared at each other, neither willing to make the first move.

Sensing an opportunity to make his exit, Zelgadis grabbed Amelia's hand and pulled her towards the door.  "Come on!" he hissed when she wouldn't keep up.

Amelia glanced over her shoulder at the confrontation and said, "Shouldn't we help Miss Lina?"

"She can handle herself.  We need to get out of here, now!"

"Lina Inverse," Rezo whispered, stroking his chin thoughtfully.  "So you've finally returned."  A cold smile crossed his face.  "How delightful."

Lina glanced up at the sound of the High Priest's words and asked, "Returned from what?!" totally flabbergasted.

"Ey, you guys!" a voice called out from high above.  Standing atop the chandelier, holding a thick length of rope was Jillas.  He cackled and said, "Now's th' time fer me revenge, 'Ezo!  'M gonna blo' ye all strai't ta 'ell!"

Lina glanced around at Gourry, Eris, and finally Rezo.  "Anybody catch any of that?" she asked.  Everyone slowly shook their heads and she nodded.  "I didn't either."  Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out, "Hey, pal!  Enunciate!"

Jillas scratched his head.  "Wha'?  Whacha say there?" he yipped back down to Lina.

"I said enunciate!" Lina shrieked, jumping up and down in her irritation.  "We can't understand a single word you're saying!"

His lips pulled back into an animalistic sneer, Jillas yelled, "Unerstan' this!" as he set a candle to several fuses.  They caught immediately and sparks raced along the lengths of cord towards the insane little man's caches of explosives.  Laughing maniacally, he barked, "Now, we all die togetha'!"

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Next Chapter:  An explosive end

Notes:  Another chapter that I thoroughly enjoyed writing. Rezo's coming along pretty well, better than I expected in fact. I loved the L/G bit, of course. There wasn't very much Z/A in this chapter which was really odd as I'd originally planned the chapter to revolve around them. Impossible to tell where these things are going sometimes, isn't it?

Reviewer Response: 

Miss Gabriev, I'm a little frightened to hear that you finished TRY twice already. I think that you need a little break from the Slayers series. Might I recommend the Slayers movies? And of course the tears worked. No self respecting guy can refuse the request of a tearful maiden. 

Otaku Girl, that was a lot of questions. Xellos is mad... because. I rarely know what I'm talking about. Lina's not killing Gourry, is she? It's pretty obvious what Jillas is up to at this point. Lina was dreaming. The implications of which I haven't touched on yet. Um, and no, Lina didn't know how to dance before this chapter. Phew! Any other questions? 

Dragonet, nice to see that you're back. Did you take a vacation from the story too?  Everything's confusing, you say? Good! 

Thanks for betaing, Pogo. I'm glad you enjoyed the way I changed the L/G bit at the beginning of 24. 'Til next time!


	26. Midnight Pursuit

The ballroom erupted into chaos after Jillas lit his fuses.  Nobody was really sure what was going on, but most had sense enough to understand that it wasn't good.  People were climbing over one another to get to the exits and several unlucky guests were being trampled in the process.

Lina watched the sparks race along the ceiling, a look of understanding slowly dawning on her face.  "Powder," she whispered to herself.  "It's black powder!" she repeated more loudly.  She turned and grabbed the front of Gourry's shirt.  She shrieked, "Do you have any idea what this means?!" while violently shaking him by his collar.

Gourry gave Lina a pained grin and hazarded a guess.  "Um, it's not good, right?"

"That's right, bait for brains!"  Lina released her hold on Gourry's shirt and pointed up at the four sparking fuses.  "We have to stop them!"  Not wasting another moment, she nimbly leapt up onto one of the long serving tables and snatched up a carving knife.

"How are we supposed to do that?!" Gourry yelled over the din of the chamber.

"Cut them!" Lina shouted back to the swordsman.  She quickly snatched up another knife and tossed it to Eris.  "Here!  You get that one!" she instructed, pointing at the far side of the room.  Without waiting to see if her command was obeyed, she turned and ran down the table, deftly avoiding plates of food and the occasional partygoer.

Eris scowled darkly and quickly reversed her grip on the knife so that she was holding the blade.  "Sister of Luna," she hissed, making the statement sound like a curse.  A cruel grin on her face, she reared back, meaning to fling the blade into Lina's exposed back.

Rezo grabbed Eris's wrist just before she released the knife.  He shook his head and quietly said, "Do as she says."  Noting her look of displeasure, he added, "There will be plenty of time to bury her later."

Jillas snarled, "Oh no ye don't!" when he saw what Lina intended to do.  Quickly reaching into his tattered cloak, he withdrew a small bomb and lit the fuse.  Cackling, he then tossed it in the Slayer's direction.  "Die!"

Gourry called Lina's name as his hand instinctively flew to the hilt of the Sword of Light.  "Light come forth!" he yelled and the ballroom was instantly bathed in a golden glow, causing the panicking people to pause just for a moment to marvel at this miracle.

Lina looked up just in time to see the Sword of Light go sailing mere inches over her head to neatly bisect the bomb in midair.  She paused momentarily, all thoughts of the stopping the bomb temporarily forgotten, as black powder rained harmlessly down upon her.  Amidst the powder were several red hairs; evidence of just how close the sword had come to her.  "Gourry…" she whispered as she turned to look at the swordsman.

"Are you okay?" Gourry mouthed silently.

Taking a deep breath, Lina jumped up and down yelling, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!  You could've killed me!  When I get my hands on you…"

Gourry grinned and tuned out the rest of Lina's diatribe.  She was fine.  His duty as her protector temporarily fulfilled, he turned back to his original task of disabling the larger bomb.  Normally the most considerate of people, he was forced to bodily toss people aside in his slow trek towards the fuse.  His sharp eyes followed the burning cord down the wall to its terminus, a large unmarked barrel.  "That's it," he muttered to himself, easily flinging a particularly large man out of his way.  "Okay," he muttered as he stood before the barrel.  "Now I've just got to…"  His hand strayed to his belt where his sword was no longer hanging.  "Damn it!"

Unnoticed by all, Rezo stood, shocked by what he had just witnessed.  "The Sword of Light," he whispered in disbelief.  Surprise quickly gave way to fury as he glared at Gourry.  The sword had been stolen from the Slayers a few weeks ago and here was the thief.  Was there a single honest soul at this gathering?  It appeared that everyone had stolen from him, betrayed him, or wanted to kill him.

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Zelgadis and Amelia were already at the door when the insanity broke out.  

"What the hell?" Zelgadis whispered to himself as he watched Jillas's little tirade and subsequent ignition.  Feeling a chill run down his spine, he reluctantly moved his eyes from the ceiling to the floor.  Amidst the chaos, Rezo stood impassively, staring at him with a look of intense hatred on his face.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Amelia asked, tugging on Zelgadis's sleeve to get his attention.  "Mister Zelgadis?"

Zelgadis looked as Amelia, startled by her words.  "W-What did you say?"

"We have to help them!" Amelia repeated insistently.  What was wrong with Zelgadis anyway?  He seemed to be in some sort of daze.  She saw him tremble and realized that he was afraid.  Something had terrified him to the point of helplessness.  Seeing that scared her.  "What's wrong with you?!" she demanded, trying to shake some sense into him.

Cold sweat running down his face, Zelgadis looked at Amelia for a moment before turning his attention back to Rezo.  The priest hadn't moved a muscle.  His dark glare was still fixed on Zelgadis, making him cringe.  His father thought that this was his doing, he realized in a moment of horrible rationality.  Shaking his head hopelessly, he tried to soundlessly convey to Rezo the idea that this wasn't his fault.

Amelia looked at Zelgadis and then at Rezo, sensing that there was something happening between them.  Realizing that Zelgadis was somehow ensnared by Rezo's gaze, she decided that she'd have to help Miss Lina on her own.

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"Thank Ceiphied," Lina whispered to herself as she vaulted off the end of the table and over the heads of several people.  A sharp pain shot through the leg that she'd injured the previous night, but thankfully it persisted for only an instant.  She landed gracefully atop the keg that was her target and immediately began to saw at the fuse.  "C'mon, c'mon!" she muttered as she worked.  Her eyes darted upwards to track the progress of the flame.  So close.  A few more feet and…

Lina shouted, "Got it!" as she hewed through the last few fibers of rope.  Without wasting an instant, she leaned back, allowing herself to fall from her perch on top of the barrel.  As she fell, her foot lashed out to knock the keg away from the guttering remains of the fuse.  It would only take one stray spark, she thought as she hit the cold floor.  One spark and all of these people would die.

Thankfully, that didn't happen.  Lina sighed in relief as she glanced around the room at the progress of the others.  Eris had dealt with her barrel, with a lot more time to spare than Lina had, she noted feeling a bit jealous.  Amelia had gotten the one that she'd missed.  Thank Ceiphied for that.  She didn't think that there would be time for her to get two of them.  And the last…

"Gourry!" Lina yelled, feeling sick to her stomach.  Gourry hadn't had his sword.  There'd been no way for him to cut the cord.  She watched in horror as the swordsman ran, the last barrel slung up on his shoulder.  There was no time to help him, she realized.  A few more moments and he'd quite literally be at the end of his rope.  

The building was safe though.  The last keg wouldn't be enough to bring it down, so hundreds of lives would be saved.  Lina tried to take comfort in that knowledge, but found herself thinking of one thing only.

"That little bastard," Lina hissed as she picked herself up off the ground.  She glared up at Jillas, still comfortably situated on his perch above the insanity in the room below.  People had been hurt because of him.  Gourry was going to die because of him.  "Hey!" she bellowed.

"Ye broke me bom's!" Jillas yelled back, shaking his fist at Lina in anger.  "I'll ne'er forgive ye!"  His other hand slipped into his cloak again, no doubt meaning to find another explosive device to hurl at Lina.

Just then, the explosion rocked the room.  The chain supporting the chandelier groaned and then gave way.  Jillas's weight coupled with the shockwave was too much for it to bear.  It came crashing down in a colossal jumble of brass and wax in the middle of the floor.

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"Now, you're mine!" Eris hissed as she effortlessly maneuvered through the last of the crowd towards Lina's back.  Lina was facedown on the floor.  How to do this?  She could cut the redhead's throat, but that would be too quick and painless.  A quick jab to the kidney?  That'd hurt, but would it really be satisfying?  Snickering evilly, she said, "Well, I'll just have to gut you then."

"Eris?  I need your assistance."

Eris looked up to see Rezo standing a few feet away.  "Can I have a moment, love?  I've got business to deal with."

Rezo shook his head.  "Now, Eris.  We can't be sure that the intruder doesn't have any other tricks.  Fetch my carriage and meet me around back."  

"But…"

Scowling, Rezo said, "Have you forgotten your duty?  Would you risk my life and the well being of the empire just to settle a personal debt?"  Ignoring Eris's scowl, he turned and quickly made his way towards the back door.

Sparing Lina one last glare, Eris muttered, "As you command, love," and turned to do as she had been instructed.

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A ghostly figure clad in a white cloak and hood moved down the alley, not seeming to walk as much as drift on the breeze.  Footfalls that should have made noise in the rubbish of the alley fell silently, leaving no indication of the figure's passing.

Coming to a trussed up woman lying on the ground, the figure cocked its head thoughtfully, before kneeling beside her.  "You've had an eventful day, haven't you?" an icy voice mused.

The woman jumped a bit, surprised at the sound of apparition's voice.  How had he gotten so close without her knowing?  She quickly decided that it didn't matter and immediately began to call for help through the gag that psychotic redhead had stuffed in her mouth.

With an enigmatic smile, the figure laid a finger across his lips, indicating that the woman should be silent for a moment.  Pointedly ignoring her continued protests, he began to rummage through a pile of clothes hastily stashed beside the woman.  A cape, a burgundy blouse with matching tights, and…

Pale hands snaked out from under the white cloak and plucked an elaborate sword from the ground.  Removing the decorative sheath and casually casting it aside like so much rubbish, the figure traced the decorative letters engraved in the blade with a fingertip.  "Lina," the voice whispered thoughtfully.  

The woman watched the cloaked form for a moment longer before yelling in muffled tones again.  A moment later, the gag was roughly snatched from her mouth.  "It's about time!" she yelled indignantly.  "Now untie me and-"  She was rudely interrupted when the point of Lina's sword was suddenly pressed against her throat.  "W-What are you doing?" she whispered, her eyes wide in fear.  There was an instant of painful pressure as the blade slid through the soft flesh of her neck and then all was darkness.

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Lina shakily climbed to her feet yet again.  Black smoke stung her eyes, causing tears to well up within them.  She quickly glanced over at the doorway where she'd last seen Gourry and immediately wished that she hadn't.  A scrap of blue cloth, part of Gourry's shirt, drifted down towards her.  The tears, barely kept in check before, spilled down her face as she hopelessly called Gourry's name.

"Blimey, I've got such a 'eadache!" Jillas muttered to himself as he staggered out of the remains of the chandelier.  He winced as he gingerly rubbed his forehead.  It had been split open on a jagged piece of brass, but was already healing.  In a moment, all that remained of the wound was a bit of drying blood.  "Tha's betta'!" he said with a grin.

"You killed Gourry!" Lina half sobbed, half snarled at Jillas.

Jillas squinted in Lina's direction for a moment, trying to discern her identity through the acrid smoke.  "Ye ruined m' plan!" he growled as she came into clear view.

"You killed Gourry!" Lina shrieked again.  After a moment, she added, "And I still can't understand a word you're saying!"

"Ye busted m' bom's!" Jillas said, pointing at Lina accusingly.  "I'll get ye fer this!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"  Lina yelled.  She snatched her knife up from the stone floor and darted at Jillas.  "Murderer!" she snarled as she drove the blade into his belly.  Hot blood coursed over her hands, making her feel a little better.

Jillas grunted from the impact.  "Damn i' t'all," he muttered to himself as he felt Lina's blade slide into his guts.  Grabbing her by the throat he yelped, "That 'urt, ye littl' witch!" before shoving her away.

Lina sprawled out on the floor and watched as Jillas pulled the knife free of his stomach and tossed it aside.

"Silly girl!  Ye canna' kill a memba' o' the fox tribe like that!" Jillas said with a triumphant laugh as his wound closed.

A soot blackened Amelia knelt down beside Lina.  "Miss Lina?  Are you alright?"  She asked as she took Lina's arm to help her up.  Seeing Lina's tears, she frowned.  "Are you hurt?"

Shaking her head angrily, Lina shrugged Amelia off.  Her foe wasn't human.  That was for sure.  It didn't take much effort to figure out what he was.  Animalistic features and a somewhat primitive speech pattern punctuated by barks and yips?  He was a shape changer, without a doubt.

"I'm not done with you yet!" Lina called out to Jillas while glancing around at her surroundings.  There had to be something that she could use.  Her face lit up when she saw a bunch of silverware strewn about on the floor.  "Ah!"

"Uh, Miss Lina?" Amelia hesitantly said as she watched her friend snatch up a salad fork.

"Alright!" Lina yelled, holding her newfound weapon aloft triumphantly.  "Let's see if you can handle this, buddy!"  She briefly wondered if silverware was actually made of silver.  After all, she and Luna had never owned any.  They'd been lucky to have plates to eat off of.  Hell, the name had to come from somewhere though, right?

Jillas looked at Lina as if she had gone quite mad.  Then he made the connection.  "Ye know m' secret.  Ye one o' them Slaya's aincha?"  He growled and crouched down defensively.

"That's right!" Lina said, brandishing her fork threateningly.  "Let's see you heal up from this!"  She lunged at Jillas, jabbing at him with her makeshift weapon.  "You like that?!" she yelled.

Coughing and sputtering, Zelgadis and Gourry staggered out of the smoke leaning on one another for support.  They were a little singed, but otherwise appeared to be unharmed.  They both stopped and stared at the bizarre sight before them, wide eyed.

"Zel?" Gourry said quietly, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Yeah?"

"Is Lina going after that guy with a fork?"

Zelgadis nodded slowly.  "Um, yeah.  Yeah, she is."

Gourry sighed.  "That's what I thought she was doing."  Taking a hesitant step towards the Slayer, he called out, "Hey Lina…"

Lina looked up from her position on the back of a loudly protesting Jillas.  She gasped in shock and whispered, "Gourry?" hardly daring to believe her eyes.

Before Lina had a chance to utter another word, Jillas roughly shrugged her off his back.  "Git offa me!" he yelped.  "Ye loon!"  He quickly scampered on all fours under a nearby table.  A moment later, a small bomb came rolling out towards Lina and the others.

"Down!" Lina shrieked as she tackled Amelia.  Instead of a violent explosion, the immediate area was suddenly filled with opaque smoke.  She heard Jillas cackling in the gray cloud and slammed her fist down on the floor.  "He's making a fool of me!"

"Tha's right, ye stumpy littl' idjit!"  Jillas's mocking laughter echoed through the chamber.

"Stumpy little idiot?" Amelia repeated thoughtfully.  "He's making this personal, isn't he?"

"You can understand him?!" Lina asked, staring at Amelia in shock.

"Well, yeah." Amelia replied with a shrug.  "You pick up a bunch of different accents traveling around as much as I do.  He sounds like he's from a region in the south that I visited a little while-"

"Okay!" Lina yelled, cutting Amelia off.  "This is no time for a geography lesson!  He's getting away!"  She leapt to her feet and darted into the smoke, followed closely by her companions.  She spared a quick glance over her shoulder and called Gourry's name.

"Yeah Lina?" Gourry replied, easily keeping pace with the redhead.  He leaned down and scooped the Sword of Light off the floor without breaking his stride.

"How'd you get rid of that bomb?" Lina asked, relief flooding through her at seeing the swordsman intact.

"Oh, that was easy.  I took it outside and tossed it in a carriage.  I don't think that anybody got hurt."

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Rezo stared at the still smoldering remains of his lavish coach with an inscrutable expression on his face.  Sighing sadly he bent down and picked up what looked like a charred length of wood.  Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there was a twisted horseshoe nailed to one end.  "Charger," he whispered, shaking his head ruefully.  Charger had been a good horse.

Eris stood next to the High Priest, wondering if she should say anything.  Trying not to draw his attention, she nudged what she thought was the horse's head into a nearby bush with her foot.

Casting the charred portion of Charger's foreleg aside, Rezo turned to Eris.  "Truly we are dealing with a cunning and diabolical assassin."

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Jillas burst out the front door, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake.  A moment later, he'd leapt down the stairs running right past a startled guard.  "'ere, 'old this!" he yipped, shoving a bomb into the guard's hands.  "So long, ye idjits!"  He nimbly jumped into the seat of his cart and snatched up the reins yelling, "Git!" to spur the horse into a run.

"Throw it, stupid!" Lina commanded the guard as she and the others flew out of the building in hot pursuit.

Not having the slightest clue of what to make of the situation, the guard nodded dumbly and lobbed the sparking explosive in Lina's general direction.

"Idiot!" Lina shrieked, her eyes as big as saucers.  "Not to me!"

Gourry quickly shoved Lina aside and in the blink of an eye, the bomb was neatly divided into thirds.  Sheathing the Sword of Light again, he leapt forward, barely catching onto the back of Jillas's cart as the would be assassin made his escape.

"Mister Zelgadis, look!" Amelia yelled while pointing at a tall white horse.  Standing beside the large animal, Tarimu was fruitlessly trying to mount it.

"Perfect!" Zelgadis said with a smile.  He wrapped an arm around Amelia's waist and effortlessly leapt over Tarimu's head and into the saddle.  "Excuse me," he said to his shocked rival just before kicking him in the face.  A moment later, he and Amelia practically flew out the gate in pursuit of Jillas's cart.

"Hey! What about me?!" Lina yelled indignantly.  A moment later, she was alone in the courtyard, bereft of both horse and hope of finding one.  Apparently, the other guests had already made their escapes.  "No horse…" she muttered hopelessly.

A voice called out to Lina from the shadows.  "Miss?  I saw the whole thing."  An old man stepped into the moonlight leading an equally old looking horse.  "I reckon you kin borrow ol' Gunpowder here if you're so inclined."

Lina grinned.  "Hey, thanks a bunch!"  She quickly ran over to the man and grabbed the reins.  Noting that the old man didn't let go, she muttered, "What gives?"

Grinning toothlessly, he said, "Well, you don't really expect me to let you have him fer free, do you?"

Glaring at the man suspiciously, Lina asked, "How much?"

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Gourry gritted his teeth as he struggled to pull himself up into the cart.  His knees were scraping against the cobblestones and it was a little unpleasant to say the least.  He grunted softly as a particularly large stone cut a long gash in his right shin.

Jillas's ears twitched as if he had heard Gourry's small noise over the sound of the horse's hooves striking the street below.  He turned to see the swordsman halfway over the back of the cart.  "Doncha know when ta give up?!"  After snapping the reins one last time to keep the horse moving at top speed, he turned and climbed over the seat into the back of the cart.  "No stowaways!" he yipped as he stomped on the swordsman's fingers.

His fingers went numb as Jillas ground his boot into them and Gourry lost his grip on the wagon.  By some miracle, he was saved from a potentially lethal spill into the street when his tattered shirt snagged on the bottom corner of the cart.    It held for only a moment, but it was all the opportunity he needed to renew his grip on the wood.  He was still alive, if only for a little longer.

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"Twenty?!" Lina shrieked.  "Are you senile?!"  She turned and poked Gunpowder in his decidedly pronounced ribs.  "Take a look at him!  He'll probably snap in two if I try to ride him!  I'll give you five!"

The old man spat a wad of chewing tobacco into the grass near his feet.  "Well, I reckon if you've got some other way to catch up to your friends, you don't need old Gunpowder do you?"

Lina growled threateningly and reluctantly said, "Ten."

"Beggin' your pardon Miss, but beggars can't be choosers."

"Fifteen."

He yawned in response.

"You're trying to rob me!" Lina yelled, tugging at her crimson hair in frustration.  She frantically pointed at the gate while hopping up and down and exclaimed, "Don't you understand that the bad guy is getting away?!"  

The man watched Lina with a look of boredom on his face.

Lina reached into her pocket and fished around for some change.  "Fine," she hissed, "but see if I ever help you if you're being munched on by some beast."

"I think that I'll live," he replied with an infuriating grin on his face.

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Jillas growled, "Tenacious littl' bugger, aincha?" as he reached into his cloak.  A moment later, he withdrew his pistol and leveled it at Gourry's forehead.  "An' now, ye die!"

"Mister Gourry!"

Gourry glanced over his shoulder to see Amelia and Zelgadis gaining on the cart.  Amelia was standing precariously on Zelgadis's shoulders.  The minister had an incredibly pained expression on his face.  

"You could have at least taken your heels off!" Zelgadis yelled up to Amelia.

Amelia frowned apologetically and crouched down, preparing to spring.

"What are you doing?!" Gourry yelled.

Zelgadis shrugged, almost knocking Amelia off his shoulders.  After that near disaster, he had a grimace plastered on his face and made an effort to hold perfectly still.  It was quite a task when one considered that he had to keep the horse going as well.  It didn't become any easier when Amelia's skirt dropped over his face.  "Amelia, I can't see!" his muffled voice protested.

"Sorry, Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia yelled.

His one good eye wide, Jillas stared at Amelia, his plan to shoot Gourry temporarily forgotten.  "Wha' th' 'ell?" he muttered curiously.

"Mister Gourry, I'm going to help you!" the acrobat called out while giving the swordsman an enthusiastic thumbs up.

"No!  That's okay!" Gourry yelled, shaking his head emphatically.  "I'm fine, really!"  He made an earnest effort to look excited about the idea of being dragged from the back of a runaway cart.  His grin faded as Amelia sprang forward.  "Oh no."

Smiling confidently, Amelia flipped in midair intending to land in the cart behind Jillas.  Things didn't go quite as planned as she failed to take into consideration the effect that several yards of fabric would have on her maneuverability.  Her dress billowed out, slowing her forward momentum and she ended up landing on the small of Gourry's back.

"Ow!" Gourry yelled as he felt Amelia's shoes painfully dig into his spine.  "You call this helping?!"  With the acrobat's added weight it felt as if his arms were about to pop out of their sockets.  To say nothing of the fact that she was pressing his legs firmly against the street.  Every bit of fabric below mid thigh was gone and he was now losing valuable layers of skin.

Jillas stared at Amelia, his mouth agape.  "Ye nuts are crazier n' me!"  

"Ooh!  Sorry!  Sorry!" Amelia fretted, her hands fluttering about her face uselessly.  Thinking that somehow it would make things a little better at least, she reached down and patted Gourry on the shoulder reassuringly.

Gourry shook his head and yelled, "Don't be sorry!  Get off me!"

Muttering a stream of curses under his breath, Zelgadis spurred his horse on until he was riding beside the cart.  He turned, meaning to leap onto Jillas and put an end to this nonsense, but instead found himself looking down the barrel of a pistol.

"Gotcha!" Jillas yipped as he pulled the trigger.  

There was a loud bang and Zelgadis was flung violently from the saddle, a fan of blood briefly visible in the pale moonlight.  Then he fell limply to the street and briefly rolled along the stones before coming to rest in a heap.

"Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia shrieked as she watched the still form disappear into the darkness behind the cart.

"Ye'll be joinin' 'im inna second!" Jillas informed the acrobat as he set about the complicated task of reloading his pistol.

A hate filled expression flashed across Amelia's face as she pushed off Gourry's back, launching herself into the cart.  She slammed into Jillas shoulder first, knocking his weapon from his hand.  The pistol landed on the edge of the cart and briefly teetered there before falling into the street.

************************************************************************

Zelgadis dragged himself painfully to his feet, clutching at the large hole in his shoulder.  As he began to limp in the direction of Jillas's cart, he muttered, "This always happens to me.  Lina picks a fight with a demon.  Is she the one that gets turned into a pincushion?  No.  Gourry gets dragged for a couple miles at gunpoint, but does he get shot?  Oh no, not Gourry!"  He shook a fist and indignantly yelled, "You couldn't shoot the stationary target, could you?!"

His wounds slowly beginning to close, Zelgadis felt the thirst begin to burn at the back of his throat.  This wasn't the nagging that he was used to ignoring or sating with rodents.  This was a need.

As he wrestled with his desire, Zelgadis slowly became aware of the slow and steady sound of hooves on the stones approaching.  He looked up to see an extremely irate looking Lina sitting astride a gangly looking thing that he assumed was a horse.

Lina looked Zelgadis over, noting his tattered and bloody clothing.  Numerous scratches marred his skin and blood flowed freely down his left arm.  "So, what the hell happened to you?"

Zelgadis opened his mouth and was about to make a scathing remark when it happened.  His senses were overwhelmed by the presence of prey.  He shuddered, feeling his last vestiges of self-control slip away.  Unconsciously growling, he advanced on Lina threateningly.

************************************************************************

Eris sat opposite Rezo in their newly acquired coach.  They'd been traveling about the midnight streets, moving at random in case the assassin decided to make another attempt on their lives.  The guards were investigating the explosion and thoroughly combing the building for any other signs of danger before they would allow the High Priest to return.  It would be dawn before they would have an opportunity to visit their quarters.

"Something vexes you, my love?" Eris cautiously ventured as she watched the High Priest.  He'd been silent since they had entered the coach, staring out the window with an inscrutable expression on his face.  His fingers drummed on the bench beside him, the surest indicator that something was very wrong.  He wasn't usually prone to nervous habits like that.

"I want them dead."

Nodding, Eris said, "Of course.  I'll bring you the assassin's head on a platter."

Shaking his head irritably, Rezo tersely said, "The assassin means nothing.  There have been assassins before and they have always failed.  I want the others dead.  The Inverse woman, her blond companion, my son, and the other girl."  He resumed his drumming on the bench and whispered more to himself than Eris, "Amelia."

Eris cocked her head inquisitively.  "That girl you danced with?  She's the one that's bothering you?  More than the rogue, the one who stole the Sword of Light, or your treacherous son?"

Rezo smiled darkly.  "The others are annoyances, nothing more, nothing less.  Amelia on the other hand…  She's a threat."

************************************************************************

"Zel!  Don't you dare!" Lina yelled.  Her hand flew to the pocket in her cloak where she concealed a wooden stake.  Unfortunately, she wasn't wearing her cloak, and the waitress uniform had few places to conceal a weapon.

Then it was too late.  Lina was viciously flung from the saddle.  She landed on her back in the street and before she could react, Zelgadis's fangs sank into his prey's throat.

Lina shuddered involuntarily as she watched Zelgadis bring down Gunpowder.  No matter how many times she witnessed a vampire taking some victim it never got any easier to watch.  Then reality began to sink in.  "Zel…" she whispered, a bit tentatively at first.  He either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her.  It was impossible to tell.  "Zelgadis!" she yelled, throwing caution to the wind as she pounced on his back and tried to pry him off her fallen steed.  "That horse cost me twenty gold pieces!  Let him go!"

A few moments later, Zelgadis tore himself away from the twitching body with a gasp of relief.  He ran his tongue across the fronts of his teeth in a greedy attempt to get every last bit of blood.  As usual, the thirst receded; not really satisfied, but fulfilled for the time being.  "Lina?" he muttered, noticing for the first time that the redhead had her arms around his neck.

"You killed my horse," Lina hissed into Zelgadis's ear.  "That thing cost me…"  She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thirty gold pieces!"

"You got ripped off," Zelgadis muttered, easily standing despite the fact that Lina was still tenaciously clinging to his back.

"I want my money!" Lina yelled.  "And you ate my transportation!  We'll never catch up to Gourry and Amelia now!"

Zelgadis shook his head irritably and held up a hand.  "Shush, Lina.  I'm trying to think."  He cocked his head to the side, listening for some sound on the midnight breeze.  "That way," he said after a moment, suddenly darting off to the left.

Lina almost lost her grip when Zelgadis took off.  She quickly secured her legs around his waist and tightened her grip on his neck.  "What are you doing?!" she yelled, seeing that he was heading straight for a brick wall.  

"Shortcut," Zelgadis snapped, putting on even more speed as he spoke.  "We've got to make up some ground and I can't outrun a horse."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Lina braced for impact, only to feel weightless a moment later.  Hesitantly she opened one eye and gasped in shock to find that they were now on the rooftop.  "Zel, that was three stories," she whispered in awe.

"That's right."

"What are you?" Lina said, shaking her head in disbelief.  "You're nothing like any vampire that I've ever seen."

Zelgadis flashed Lina a threatening grin, exposing his pointed fangs.  "I'm nothing to be trifled with."

Lina snorted derisively, refusing to be intimidated by Zelgadis's display.  A confident grin on her own face, she said, "Whatever.  You still owe me forty gold pieces."

"I thought it was thirty?!" Zelgadis snarled as he sailed effortlessly over a wide gap between two rooftops.

"Yeah, well you should have thought of that before you turned my horse into a lunch special!" Lina snarled right back at him.  "Besides, it's not like you can't afford it!"  Before Zelgadis had a chance to protest, she dug her heels into his ribs and said, "No more complaining!  Hurry up!"

Muttering curses under his breath, Zelgadis did as he was instructed.

************************************************************************

"Doncha know when ta' quit?"  Jillas growled as he shoved Amelia, displaying a surprising amount of strength for his small frame.  She staggered back and teetered on the edge of the cart, much to his delight.

Grunting in pain, Gourry reached up and firmly shoved Amelia back to safety.  He then quickly pulled himself into the cart beside her.  As he lay on the floor, he looked himself over with a grimace.  His legs were a bloody mess, but it appeared that all the nicks and scratches were fairly superficial.

"You villain!" Amelia yelled while pointing at Jillas, her dress billowing out behind her in a thoroughly dramatic fashion.  "I'll have no mercy on you after what you did to Mister Zelgadis!"

"Villain?"  Jillias yipped loudly; making a sound that was probably laughter.  "Ye be th' one who's th' villain!  'Eaven'll 'ave no mercy fer ye, ye murdurin' servant o' 'Ezo!  People like ye killed m' whole fam'ly!"

"Murdering servant of Rezo?" Amelia repeated thoughtfully.  "We're not servants of Rezo!" she replied with a vehement shake of her head.  "We're Slayers!  Protectors of the innocent!  Vanquishers of wickedness!"

"Uh, we are?" Gourry asked from his position on the floor at Amelia's feet.

Amelia grinned at the swordsman sheepishly.  "Well… I will be after Miss Lina teaches me, at any rate."

At that very moment, the Slayer in question dropped gracefully into the cart on Zelgadis's back.  "Hi, everyone!" she said with a cheerful grin.  "Did you miss me?"

"You can let go now," Zelgadis muttered darkly as he tried to forcefully remove Lina's arms from around his neck.

"Ye ain't dead?!" Jillas yelled with no small amount of surprise as he stared at Zelgadis.

"Okay, let's get down to business!" Lina yelled.  "So… anybody got any silver?"

"Silver?  Um, I've got this bracelet," Amelia said helpfully, holding up her wrist for Lina's inspection.  "Mister Zelgadis got it for me."

Lina grimaced as she inspected the chain.  "Anything else?" she asked without much hope.  How were they supposed to kill a shape changer with a damn bracelet?  "No?  Well, I guess it'll have to do."  She quickly unfastened it from Amelia's wrist and turned to face Jillas.  "I just hope that Zel didn't buy some cheap silver plated junk."

"Hey," Zelgadis growled indignantly.  "I'll have you know that cost me a lot of money."

"Just teasing Zel," Lina said with a wink.  She turned back to face their foe and held the bracelet up in what she hoped was a threatening way.  It was hard to tell though.  She'd never had to attack anyone with jewelry before and she was kind of winging it.  "Okay, let's go animal boy."

"Ye know m' secret," Jillas said with a grin.  "I guess I'll show ye m' true form, 'en."  He knelt down as spasms wracked his body.  Tufts of orange fur sprang out of his skin and in a moment he was covered with it.  His nose elongated even more than it already was into a snout and his ears lengthened and became pointy, tipped with black fur.  There was a ripping sound as a bushy orange tail burst free of his already tattered pants.  He cackled and yipped, "See m' power an' dispa' ye idjits!"  Their reaction wasn't quite what he had expected.

"He's short," Zelgadis observed with a raised eyebrow.  He coughed loudly, covering his mouth with a hand to hide a smile.

Gourry piped up, adding his own scathing comment.  "Yeah, he is pretty short.  Kinda fuzzy too."

Amelia, a smile on her face, clasped her hands together and giggled.  "He's so cute!" she said, utterly dispelling any false notion that Jillas had that he was intimidating.

As for Lina, her face was just as red as her hair by this point.  Tears of mirth ran down her cheeks as she covered her mouth in an attempt to hold in her peals of laughter.  She dropped to one knee as she was overcome by a fit of giggles.

Jillas's ears flattened against his skull as he growled, "Whacha laughin' at?" his lips curling back to expose needlelike canines.  Sadly, in a way even his pointy little teeth were adorable.

Seeing Jillas's supposedly threatening snarl finally pushed Lina over the edge.  "I'm sorry!" she managed to squeak between giggles.  "I know you're a monster and I should take you seriously, but…  Amelia's right!  You're so cute!"  Finally losing all self-control, she rolled around on the floor of the wagon, her laughter ringing in the poor fox-man's ears.

Jillas trembled in anger as he silently endured his humiliation, his bushy tail thrashing back and forth in an irritated manner.  He seemed to shrink in stature a bit as Lina's laughter showed no sign of abating.

"Hey Lina," Gourry interjected a moment later, his voice full of fear.  "Who's driving?"  He'd just noticed that the horse was still running out of control, frightened by all the activity in the back of the cart.  Being an observant man, he was also the first to notice that they were rapidly running out of street.  The docks lay before them and the horse showed no signs of slowing.  Everyone else quickly picked up on it though.

"Stop the cart!" Lina yelled, all thoughts of laughing at Jillas's appearance dispelled.  The sound of hooves striking stone was quickly replaced by the pounding of wood.  They had maybe a hundred feet before they reached the ocean.

Jillas looked over his shoulder and yelped in surprise when he saw the peril that they were in.  Quickly hopping into the seat he reached for the reins.  However, they weren't there anymore.  During the chase, the reins had slipped down off the bench and now dragged along the ground, well out of the fox-man's reach.  He turned to the others and yelled, "I can't stop 'im!"

Then they were out of time.  The horse leapt as they ran out of running room, easily pulling the cart a dozen feet past the end of the dock before they struck water.  The black waves greedily swallowed the cart and it's passengers and after a moment, there was nothing left but pale moonlight on the rippling darkness.

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Next Chapter:  Hunt the Slayer

Notes:  I'll be the first to admit that this chapter doesn't really warrant the "horror" heading.  Everyone was cracking bad jokes in this one.  Heck, even Rezo got a one-liner in.  I just couldn't picture Jillas as a serious villain and he dragged everyone else into his silliness.  Hmm, maybe that's what makes him such a diabolical villain…  The ability to suck the seriousness out of the plot.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.  We'll be getting back to some darker stuff next chapter.  Not that there won't be any humor, but it'll be a little more evenly dispersed than it was in this chapter.

Reviewer Response:

Otaku Girl, I can't tell you how much I laughed when I saw you put "VI" up 3 times.  I knew that you meant "VIII" (I have the soundtrack too.  The waltz is a beautiful piece), but for some reason you can't use redundant letters when you review.  You know, "Brrrr!" would be shortened to "Br!"  About your story, just toss it up and forget about it for a few days.  You'll feel better about it when you go back to check it later.

Miss Gabriev, apparently you weren't the only one that thought Zel had something to do with Jillas's attack.  Rezo seemed pretty ticked off too.  I don't mind Naga too much or her magic.  I happen to like Freeze Arrows, thank you very much.  Um, Revival 3 is in the planning stages right now.  *points to bio*  I try to update the bio every time I post to include stories I'm working on.  I'm currently not focused on R3.  Instead, I'm doing ET and have seriously started writing another story in the Revival arc.  It's a little piece about how Lina fell for Gourry.

Back to school, Dragonet?  Sounds fun.  Jillas hasn't died yet in what I've written (partly through 28) so I think he might be around for a while.  What is the big fuss over Seyruun?  Rezo didn't seem happy when Amelia mentioned it, did he?

Pogo, I refuse to talk about the tray anymore.  I explained what happened to the tray and you didn't buy it.  Thanks for betaing the chapter (even if you did get unhealthily hung up on that tray thing).  I'm really glad that you found it amusing.  That was incredibly reassuring.

Until next time people!


	27. Departure of the Light

The dark water lapped at the dock quietly showing no sign of the struggle for life taking place just below its surface.  It was late and nobody had seen the plunge into the ocean.  Even if there had been someone, they most likely would have looked the other way and quickened their pace a bit.  This was Sairaag, after all.

There was an explosion of water as a figure surfaced.  Zelgadis coughed and sputtered.  They had hit the water dangerously fast and the impact had knocked the wind out of him.  It was a wonder that he had been able to surface.  As for the others…  "Hey!" he yelled as he looked around for some other sign of life.  Surely he hadn't been the only one to get free…  There.  He could hear splashing and coughing in the distance.  "Hello?" he called out as he focused on the thrashing form.

"Someone 'elp me!" a familiar voice yelled.  "I can't swim!"

"Oh god," Zelgadis muttered with a roll of his eyes.  He quickly turned to swim away, hoping that the irritating little fox-man hadn't seen him.  His hopes were crushed as he felt a pair of furry arms wrap around his neck.  "Let go!" he growled.

"Ye 'ave te save me!" Jillas shrilly yipped into Zelgadis's ear.

"Need I remind you that you shot me?!" Zelgadis angrily retorted as he struggled to remove Jillas's arms from around his throat.  "Why should I save you?!"  He looked around for the others as he struggled.  So far, nothing.

"'Elp me!" Jillas yelled in answer to Zelgadis's question.  

That seemed to be the extent of Jillas's vocabulary at the moment, and Zelgadis winced every time that the little nuisance shrieked it into his ear.  "All right!" he bellowed as he began to swim towards shore.  "Just loosen up a bit!  You're going to pull us both down!"  Thankfully the fox seemed to have a bit of intelligence and wisely complied with his request.

Then it happened.  Another splash followed by another gasp for air.  "Mister Zelgadis?!" Amelia's voice called.  "Where are you?"

Zelgadis sighed in relief, thankful that Amelia was okay.  "I'm fine Amelia!  Swim for shore!"  He began to take his own advice and paddled pointedly towards the dock.  Still no sign of Lina or Gourry, he thought with a frown.  It had to have been at least a minute since they'd hit by now.

"Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia called out, sounding more insistent.  "The dress is-"  Her voice was momentarily drowned out by splashes and sputtering.  "It's too heavy!" she finished a moment later.

"Let go," Zelgadis commanded.  "Right now."  He pointed to the dock, faintly illuminated in the moonlight.  "It's five feet away.  You can make it."  When the fox tightened his grip on him, Zelgadis yelled, "Get off!" and flipped the smaller man forward.  There was a splash and he briefly saw Jillas scrabbling out of the water onto the safety of the dock.  "Good riddance," he muttered to himself as he turned to help Amelia.

Suddenly, twin lances of pain shot through Zelgadis's back.  "Not now," he hissed through gritted teeth.  If possible, the pain seemed to intensify and he arched his back in agony.  This did little to aid his swimming ability and he briefly slipped beneath the black waves.  In a way, this was a mercy as he was able to express his suffering without Amelia hearing.  He screamed for what seemed like an eternity before the pain left him as it always did.  He gasped for air as he surfaced again.  "I'm coming, Amelia," he weakly muttered, more to give himself direction than to reassure her.

************************************************************************

Beneath the surface, Gourry frantically searched for Lina in the darkness.  When they'd gone over he'd seen her hit her head on the side of the cart.  When he'd surfaced a second later and he called her name fruitlessly, his fears had been confirmed.  He'd immediately gone back under, just as Zelgadis had surfaced.  

It was so far down.  Twenty feet at least.  There was a drop a few feet out from the dock and that damned horse had cleared it, dragging Lina into the depths.

Gourry didn't know how far down he'd gone, but when he looked up he couldn't see the moon anymore.  Maybe it had gone behind a cloud, he thought.  Or maybe the impact of the cart had stirred up a cloud of silt to block his vision.  That would mean that he was near the bottom.  Encouraged by that hopeful thought and ignoring the burning in his lungs, he pressed on.  The feeling of wood under his hands rewarded his efforts.  It was the cart.

Working quickly, Gourry found the side and ran his hand down until he found the ocean floor.  It'd take too long to circumnavigate the cart.  Every second wasted brought Lina closer to death.  What he needed was some light.  He glanced up again, fruitlessly hoping that the moon had decided to show its face.  No such luck.

There was no time to waste and Gourry quickly began to crawl along the bottom, feeling for something, anything that might be Lina.  His hands frantically grabbed anything within reach.  What he thought was Lina's hair ended up being some seaweed, her breast painfully revealed to be a jellyfish, her leg a piece of driftwood.  All false hopes that were quickly dashed.  He needed light, damn it!

Then inspiration struck.  Gourry would have smacked himself on the forehead if his hand weren't already busy at his belt.  He spoke some words that were distorted by the water and then the black sea became blue.  A school of brightly colored fish hurriedly scattered as the Sword of Light did its work.

There, Gourry saw with no small amount of relief.  A mass of crimson hair peeked out from behind the far side of the cart.  He never would have found her in time without the light.  He quickly pulled himself across the bottom of the cart.  As Lina came into view, he suddenly felt incredibly sick to his stomach.

Lina lay on the sea floor, pinned beneath the overturned cart at a point just above her waist.  Her eyes were closed and her mouth hung open.  She looked as pale as death in the light of the sword.  The most horrible thing was how still she was.  The only thing that moved her was the water current.

Not wasting another instant, Gourry swung the Sword of Light time and again, hewing through the wood and freeing the Slayer.  He felt a sharp stab of pain in his lungs as he used up oxygen that he didn't have in his efforts.  It didn't really matter though.  Either he was taking Lina with him when he surfaced, or he wasn't going to surface at all.

Extinguishing the Sword of Light, Gourry was plunged into darkness again.  He reached out with trembling hands and carefully gathered the limp woman into his arms.  Then, he kicked for the surface and life itself.

************************************************************************

"Get the dress off!" Zelgadis yelled as he began to insistently tug the fabric off of Amelia.

"What?!" Amelia yelled in return.  Had she heard Zelgadis right?

Zelgadis shook his head angrily and explained, "I can't carry you and two hundred pounds of wet cloth!  Get it off!"  A quick pull and a couple rips later the dress sank into the darkness.  They were free.  He was quickly tiring though.  He'd already made a trip to shore and back and his agonizing ordeal had sapped the last of his strength.  He quickly realized that if Amelia didn't know how to swim, they were both going to drown.

"'Ey!" Jillas's voice called.

Looking up wearily, Zelgadis saw the fox at the end of the dock extending a long wooden pole towards him.

"Go on!  Grab a hold!" Jillas yipped, waving the stick in Zelgadis's direction.  He managed to hit Zelgadis in the eye, eliciting a string of profanity from his hapless savior.  "Sorry 'bout that, boss!" he called out sheepishly as he fished them out of the ocean.

"M-M-Miss Lina?" Amelia called out, her teeth chattering as she hugged herself.  The water around Sairaag wasn't even warm in the summer and it was now early autumn.  Her undergarments did little to protect her from the cold.  A cool breeze blew across her bare skin causing her to shiver all the more.  She glanced up at the feeling of wet cloth on her back.  Zelgadis had removed his tattered cape and draped it over her.  "Thanks, Mister Zelgadis," she said with a grateful smile.  Clutching the makeshift blanket more closely around her, she asked, "Do you think that they're going to make it?"

Before Zelgadis could shake his head, Gourry flopped out of the water onto the dock, dragging Lina behind him.  Ignoring the others, he quickly turned Lina on her back and shook her.  "Lina?" he almost whispered at first.  Getting no response, he yelled her name and quickly and loudly slapped her across the face, first forehand and then backhand.  That brought a bit of color to her cheeks, but accomplished nothing else.

"L-Lina?" Gourry whispered, his voice quavering with emotion.  Hot tears spilled down his cheeks as he held her close.  "Don't go, Lina.  I can't protect you if you leave," he sobbed into her chest.  Then he paused.  He'd heard something.  Pressing his ear against her breast, he listened intently.

"What's he doing?" Amelia whispered to Zelgadis as she watched Gourry lay Lina out on the dock.

A heartbeat.  It had been a heartbeat, Gourry thought as he took a deep breath and leaned down to force it into Lina's lungs.  Her chest swelled briefly and then she coughed.  It was quite possibly the most beautiful sound that he'd ever heard.

Lina's eyes flew open and she quickly shoved Gourry away, not so much out of embarrassment as sheer necessity.  She rolled onto her side and coughed up what felt like a gallon of seawater.  "Oh god," she groaned miserably.  It felt as if the interior of her mouth was coated with salt, her eyes were pink from irritation, and it hurt to breathe.  On top of all that, she had a splitting headache.  She glared at Jillas and was about to say something quite rude, but decided at the last moment that she wasn't quite done being sick.

Gourry sympathetically patted Lina on the back as she continued to cough and sputter.  He squeezed her shoulder in a concerned manner and asked, "You okay, Lina?  You look terrible."

It was an accurate assessment, if a little bit tactless.  Lina's crimson hair hung about her face in a sopping mass.  She looked incredibly green in the face and her soaked clothes clung to her trembling form, making her look incredibly spindly and pathetic.  All in all, she looked like a drowned rat that Gourry had dredged out of the ocean.

Looking up at Gourry incredulously, Lina briefly considered telling him that no, she was definitely not okay.  Then she saw the worry in his face and decided that she'd better say that she was fine.  Otherwise, who knew what kind of humiliation he'd put her through in an attempt to "help" her?  She gave him a tired thumbs-up and forced a grin.  "Never better," she managed to croak between coughs.  "Okay, you little weasel," she snarled at Jillas a moment later.  "You're in trouble now!"

Jillas growled and tried to look menacing.  It was hard to do, considering that he was trying to hide behind Zelgadis at the same time.  "Fox.  'M a fox.  No' te weasel!" he protested indignantly.

A wicked grin crossed Lina's face as she picked a bit of seaweed out of her hair.  "I still can't understand you, but it's too late to beg for mercy!"

************************************************************************

Rezo reached under his seat and produced a bloodstained sword.  A mirthless smile upon his face, he held it up for inspection.  Quite pretentious, he mused as he eyed the image of Lina standing over a fallen demon.  He ran his finger down the edge of the blade.  "Sharp," he muttered thoughtfully as it opened a small gash on his fingertip.  A moment later he casually tossed the blade on the seat beside him, uncaring that drying blood stained the expensive leather.  "A very deadly tool, wouldn't you agree?" 

"Where did you get that, my love?" Eris asked, eyeing the sword distastefully.  Even without reading the inscription she recognized it as Lina's.

"Do you think she is a fool, Eris?" Rezo asked, ignoring Eris's question.  "You fought with her.  Tell me, am I worrying needlessly over a witless little girl?"

Eris bit her lip thoughtfully as she recalled her clash with Lina from two nights past.  "No…" she said hesitantly.  "I wouldn't risk dismissing her as a mere fool.  She's impulsive, but dangerously clever."  She scowled as she reluctantly added, "It pains me to admit it, but she seems just as intelligent as her sister and she's quite possibly even more dangerous.  She's unpredictable and not under your control."

Rezo nodded thoughtfully.  "That is true.  Luna's downfall was her lack of imagination.  A very talented woman, but woefully predictable," Rezo said with a rueful shake of his head.  "It was a sad day for the church when we lost her services."

"She betrayed you, my lord," Eris said with a hateful glare.  "Or have you forgotten?"

"I'll thank you not to take that tone with me, Eris."  Hate clouded Rezo's face for an instant before he got himself back under some semblance of control.  He sighed shakily and said, "I'm sorry, my dear.  The stress, you understand."

"I know."  Eris moved across the coach and sat next to Rezo.  She rested her head on his shoulder and took his cold hands in her own.  "I'm sorry, my love.  I worry about you.  You try to do too much and now you have these new troubles crop up all at once…"

"Ripples in the water, my dear," Rezo said thoughtfully.

"My lord?"

"The empire is akin to a pool of water.  Beautiful and tranquil," Rezo explained.  "Drop a pebble into it, however…"

Eris nodded, understanding where the analogy was going.  "…and you get disturbances.  The ripples.  What happened tonight was one of them, correct?  I'd wager that it was all Inverse's fault.  The entire family should have been wiped out after Luna's betrayal."

Rezo chuckled.  "Your single minded devotion is quite endearing, but you mustn't let it keep you from seeing the truth.  Earlier tonight, young Inverse was honestly surprised that I knew her.  Even more surprised than I was to see her again.  No, she's just another ripple in the water.  Along with my son, and that Amelia girl."

Her brow furrowed in confusion, Eris asked, "If you're correct in that assumption, then I have to wonder, who's throwing the stones?"

"I have my suspicions," Rezo whispered.

"Love?" Eris muttered as she looked up at the High Priest's face.  There was something there.  An emotion so alien to Rezo's face that it took her a moment to recognize it.  It was fear.  He was afraid.  Swallowing nervously, she said, "If you have a suspicion, share it with me.  Perhaps I can show your tormentor the error of his ways."

Rezo's arms snaked around Eris's shoulders and he hugged her possessively.  He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on the side of her neck, savoring the warmth of her flesh.  "I know that you would try.  I could ask you for the world and you would attempt to deliver it, wouldn't you?"

Eris reached up to lovingly caress Rezo's face.  "I would do so or die in the attempt.  Give me the name of your enemy."

"You would die," Rezo stated with such surety that Eris was momentarily taken aback.  "And I will not throw your life away in such a frivolous manner."  He shook his head and sighed tiredly.  "No, I fear my suspicions must remain mine alone for the moment.  However, this doesn't mean that he'll go unchallenged.  I can still work to counteract him in a less direct manner."

"By removing the ripples."

"A temporary fix at best, but there is little else that can be done at the moment."  Rezo cupped Eris's chin in his hand and lifted it until they were eye to eye.  "Listen carefully, beloved.  This is what must be done…"

************************************************************************

"Uncle!  Uncle!" Jillas yelped.  He pounded on the dock helplessly as Lina sat on his back, cruelly tugging on his leg.  She briefly wondered if she could make his heel touch the back of his head and decided that there was really only one way to find out.

"Miss Lina, don't you think that he's had enough?"  Amelia winced sympathetically as Lina snarled at Jillas.

"Are you sure that's the whole story?!" Lina demanded as she put more pressure on the helpless fox-man.  There was a painful sounding pop as she managed to move his leg back another half inch.  A long agonizing howl convinced her that she'd gotten all the information she was going to out of Jillas, and almost reluctantly, she released her hold on him.

In the blink of an eye, Jillas scrabbled over to where Zelgadis was standing and wrapped his arms around the minister's leg in an iron grip.  He ignored Zelgadis's glare in favor of quietly growling at Lina.  She'd made it painfully obvious that she was totally insane.

Luckily for Jillas, Lina was lost in thought and totally missed his little act of defiance.  "Rezo…" she whispered to herself.  If Jillas's story was to be believed, Rezo wasn't the kind man that she'd always been led to believe he was.  A worried frown crossed her face as she began to walk.

Amelia watched Lina walk away with a confused expression on her face.  "Miss Lina, what are we supposed to do now?"

Lina waved dismissively.  "How am I supposed to know?  Go home.  Go have a couple drinks.  Go jump off a cliff for all I care.  I'm not your keeper."  She sighed quietly.  There were so many questions now.  She needed time to figure things out.  

"Well, what are you going to do?" Zelgadis asked as he surreptitiously tried to place Amelia between Jillas and himself.  The fox was incredibly clingy and it was a little weird.

"I'm going to church.  It's Sunday, you know."  Lina glanced up when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  "Gourry.  What, do you want me to tell you where to go too?"

Gourry smiled.  "Nah.  I know where I'm going.  Wherever you go."  He draped his arm around Lina's shoulders as they walked together.  "So, I guess this is bad, right?"

Lina chuckled dryly and nodded.  "Yeah, 'bad' sums the situation up pretty well."  Bad was an understatement.  Jillas had pretty much painted Rezo as a heartless murderer in his story.  He'd claimed that the priest had ordered his entire tribe wiped out.  That was bad enough, but the really upsetting thing was that her own experience with the High Priest gave her little reason to doubt the story.

************************************************************************

Diol angrily flung the door to his home open and began to pull off his restrictive dress robes before he'd even set foot in the room.  "Of all the damned annoyances!  Who had the bright idea to stage a fire drill in the middle of the reception?"  Slamming the door behind him, he tossed the bloodstained robe on the floor in favor of donning his work clothes.  He'd never seen such a poorly run event before.  Fires, screaming, stampeding guests, it was all terribly irritating.  Why had they interrupted his work if they were just going to evacuate everyone anyway?

A smile returned to Diol's face as he entered his workroom.  No matter.  He was back where he belonged with his valuable creation.  It was dark in the room and he squinted at indistinct shapes in the gloom.  Something was amiss.  There was a breeze for one thing and he hadn't left a window open.  Frowning, he quickly lit a candle.  Had there been a break in?  That'd be a nuisance.  He'd have to call the guards and of course they'd have to be nosy and ask why he had all the bodies, opening an annoying can of worms that he didn't want to deal with.

"Anyone there?"  Diol held the flickering candle over his head as he cautiously entered the room.  He made a quick mental checklist of everything in the room.  There was that girl he'd exhumed last week.  Far too rotten to be used on her own, of course, but he'd incorporated a few bits and pieces into that Vrumugun fellow and… he was gone.  

Diol's gore spattered workbench was bare.  "My creation!" he cried out as he hurried over to investigate.  He set the candle down on the bench and knelt down to look around the floor underneath.  Maybe the cadaver had rolled off or something, he stupidly hoped.  He carelessly flung tools and spare parts aside in his search for his pet project.

A particularly large and jagged looking bone saw came to rest in the corner of the room.  It lay there for a moment, glistening dangerously in the shadows before something moved.  A hand reached out of the darkness and quietly picked up the tool.  The shadowy figure cocked its head thoughtfully as it regarded its new acquisition.

Diol paused in his search as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.  He had a sudden feeling that he wasn't alone in the dark room anymore.  "Hello?" he called out without much hope of an answer.  Whatever was in there wasn't friendly.  "I don't have any money despite what you might think.  I invest every silver I own in books."  His hand slowly reached for the candle as he spoke.  He caught a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye, and real or imagined, it caused him to jerk his hand back in surprise, knocking over the candle.

The flame guttered for a moment, desperately clinging to the wick before it was doused with hot wax and extinguished.  The room was instantly plunged into blackness.  The next few seconds were punctuated by the rapid breathing of a frightened old man and the quiet rustling of papers in the breeze.  

He should have called the guards, Diol thought as he carefully crawled across the floor on hands and knees.  Explaining the bodies be damned.  He was a minister of Ceiphied and exempt from the laws of the common man.  As soon as he'd seen that there had been a break in, he should have turned right around and-  His train of thought was interrupted as his hand came to rest on what felt like a human foot.  Normally it wouldn't have been cause for alarm, but this one was standing up.  Cautiously, he ran his hand upwards, feeling the bare skin of a leg.  

Suddenly, viselike fingers clamped down upon Diol's throat, eliciting a gasp of pain from the old man.  They squeezed harder, easily breaking skin and imbedding themselves within the soft meat of his neck.

Unable to do anything but gurgle helplessly, Diol looked up, struggling to see the face of his attacker.  He was suddenly snatched from the floor and lifted until he couldn't even feel the floor beneath his feet.  He fancied that he caught the merest glimpse of moonlight reflected on metal and then he heard a whistle just before his own saw was violently imbedded in his face.

************************************************************************

Dawn broke over the city illuminating the gristly results of the night of chaos.  

Within an alley a mere block away from the capital building, a woman lay in death, her throat cut from ear to ear.  Strangely enough, despite the gaping wound she had received, there wasn't a single drop of blood to be found.  Also missing were Lina's sword and clothes, stolen by the night.

In the apartment of Diol, minister of Sairaag, the old man lay on the floor, ragged finger holes in his throat and a look of terror etched on his face.  The front of his skull was split down the middle by one of his own tools.  His murderer had disappeared with the coming of the dawn.

Perhaps most tragically of all, the gaunt body of a noble steed, old Gunpowder lay in the street, brought down by some heartless fiend.  Never again would he gallop like the wind through the streets of Sairaag.  Well… he'd never really 'galloped' to begin with, but now he definitely wasn't going to get the chance to.

At the front gate of the capital building, an unmarked carriage came to a stop.  Within the privacy of its interior, Rezo and Eris shared a tender kiss before parting ways to do what had to be done.

Eris remained in the coach as it sped off towards her objective.  She contemplated three simple words that Rezo had hurriedly scrawled on a scrap of paper.  "Seyruun Family Circus," she whispered.

Before the coach had gone ten feet, Rezo had already hurried through the gate and quickly dropped to one knee before the grand statue of Ceiphied.  He muttered a quick prayer for guidance before standing and ascending the front steps to meet the captain of the guard.  He and the crimson haired monster of a man shared a few quick words before he swept past him to enter the building.

Gaav looked after him for a moment, a bewildered expression on his face.  It lasted for only an instant as he realized what the priest had asked of him.  Cracking his knuckles menacingly he grinned and muttered, "Heretics."

************************************************************************

Lina raised her hand to knock on the door of the church when it was suddenly yanked open by a certain purple haired priest.  Scared out of her wits, she yelped and leapt up into Gourry's arms.  She began to tremble in anger and her face reddened a bit.  Somehow, she'd known that Xellos would do something like this.

"Why hello, young lady!  And you, Mister Gourry!" Xellos exclaimed with a huge grin on his face.  "What a coincidence meeting you here!  Oh?"  He raised a questioning eyebrow at the sight before him.  He immediately glossed over the fact that they both looked as if they'd had a rough night.  Gourry's legs bore a thousand small scratches and Lina still had seaweed in her hair.  All he saw was that Gourry was carrying a blushing and trembling Lina in his arms.  Why, it could only mean…  "Come in, come in!" he called out excitedly, flinging the doors wide to admit them.  Without even waiting to see if the swordsman obeyed, he hurried up to the front of the chapel.  "I wasn't expecting you quite this soon, but I'm incredibly pleased that you've decided to come to me!"

Gourry and Lina exchanged nervous glances as the swordsman hesitantly carried her down the aisle into the interior of the church.

Xellos busied himself at his desk for a moment.  "Now where did I put that book?" he muttered to himself as he rifled through drawers and sheaves of paper.  He turned to see Gourry cautiously approaching the desk, still carrying a shell-shocked Lina.  "Come on, don't be shy!  This is a joyous day!"  His face lit up as he found the tome he was looking for.  "Wonderful!"  He turned to face the pair and cleared his throat.  "Gourry, set her down there and take her hand.  That's the way."  He flipped through the book, searching for a particular passage.

"Xellos, I've got questions and I didn't know where else to go for answers."  Lina glanced down at her hand, which was clasped tightly within Gourry's and her cheeks burned even hotter than before.  "It's about the High Priest…" she muttered, struggling to remember exactly why she'd come here.

"Nonsense!" Xellos replied with a dismissive wave.  "You don't need to worry about the High Priest!"  His face lit up as he found his place in the book.  "Ah, here we go!"

"We don't?"  Lina felt a wave of relief wash over her.  Xellos was right.  Rezo wasn't her problem, assuming he was a problem at all, of course.  The best thing to do would be to walk away before…

"Marriage," Xellos intoned solemnly, bringing Lina's thought process to a screeching halt with that single word.  "Marriage is a solemn bond made between lovers and tempered by the fire of Ceiphied's heart.  Standing before me today are two such lovers, ready to pledge their lives to one another.  Is there any soul that can give reason that this union should not be blessed?  How about you Ashford?"  He looked to the back of the chapel where the homeless chef was sleeping in a corner.  

Ashford snored loudly, scratched his side, rolled over, and continued to sleep, oblivious to the fact that Xellos had even asked him a question.

"Excellent!" Xellos said happily.  "A good man, Ashford.  Almost froze to death in the alley last night so I invited him to sleep in here.  I thought that we'd probably need a witness this morning."

"How'd you know that?" Gourry asked curiously.

Xellos waved dismissively and grinned.  "Oh, listen to me, babbling on when you two are eagerly waiting to be wed."  He clapped Gourry on the shoulder amicably and said, "Without further ado, Gourry Gabriev, do you swear to cherish and care for your beautiful bride for as long as you both shall live?"

"Huh?"

Xellos quickly rephrased the question before Lina could interject.  "Do you promise to take care of Lina forever?"

"Uh, sure.  Why not?" Gourry replied with a shrug.  He'd already promised to protect Lina and that sounded like what the priest was asking him.

"Bravo, Gourry!  A more enthusiastic response, I've not heard," Xellos replied with a grin.  He turned to face Lina and cleared his throat.  "Now young lady, those brought together by Ceiphied may never be separated, not even by death itself.  The bond of your love will be eternal, unto the end of time.  Do you, Lina Inverse, take Gourry Gabriev to be your husband?  To love and to cherish for all eternity?"

Lina, who's face had gone from beet red to ghost white sometime in the last two minutes, stammered, "I… I… I…"

Xellos nodded eagerly.  "Yes?  I need an answer, young lady."

"I… I…  I can't believe you just tried to do that!"  Lina sprung forward and tackled the elderly priest.  "What are you, some kind of psycho?!  I'm not ready to get married yet!  What in the hell's the matter with you?!"

An infuriating grin on his face, Xellos looked up at the furious redhead straddling his chest and nodded knowingly.  "Ah, I understand perfectly.  You're getting cold feet, aren't you?  It's quite all-right Lina.  Everyone has second thoughts about these things."

Lina's eyes were slits as she hissed, "I never even had first thoughts about it, you crackpot!  What kind of priest tries to swindle people into getting married?  Can you be serious for one second?  I've got a question about Rezo."

The mirth drained out of Xellos's face immediately.  "I see," he muttered darkly.  Before Lina could react, he'd sat up and gently lifted her into the air as if she weighed no more than a small child.  "What did you find out?" he asked as he easily carried her a few feet before depositing her on a pew.  "Start at the beginning, if you will."

************************************************************************

"Are you sure that you're alright?" Amelia asked for what had to be the hundredth time on their trip back to the circus.  

"I'm fine, Amelia.  The shot just grazed me."  Zelgadis winced as he looked down at the blackened hole in his shirt.  It was situated in the center of his right shoulder.

Amelia was also examining the tattered hole and shook her head sadly.  "But, I saw you fall.  Why won't you tell me what happened?"

Zelgadis studied the acrobat's face for a long moment before nodding.  "Alright.  Will you promise not to share this with anyone?"  When she nodded, he sighed in relief.  It would be nice to get this off his chest.  "I'm not exactly normal, Amelia.  I'm a lot faster and stronger than a normal person.  I'm also incredibly hard to hurt."  He shot Jillas a scathing look and said, "When he shot me, it should have killed me.  I should have died several times before as well.  But I don't, because I'm a monster."

Amelia stared at Zelgadis, looking for something in his eyes.  She sighed and whispered, "I thought you said you were going to tell me the truth?"

"It is the truth!" Zelgadis protested.

"No it isn't.  I don't know what you are, but you're not a monster, Mister Zelgadis."  Amelia impulsively wrapped her arms around her companion in a bear hug.  She smiled when she felt his arms encircle her a moment later.  "Monsters aren't kindhearted like you."

"I'm not kind, Amelia."  Zelgadis looked down at the alley floor guiltily, thinking about how he was using Lina to draw Rezo's attention away from himself.

"Yes you are," Amelia insisted.  "I see the way you smile at me and there's nothing wicked in it.  Why did you buy me this bracelet?" she asked, holding up her wrist for Zelgadis's inspection.  "Why did you pay so much to have Miss Lina's sword fixed?  And her home?  Why did you save me when we were in Hellmaster's lair?  It's because you're a kindhearted person and you love your friends."

"My friends?" Zelgadis mused aloud.  They were his friends, weren't they?  All this time he'd been thinking of how best to use them and they'd done nothing but care for him.  Lina had been given multiple opportunities to kill him, but hadn't.  Amelia had stuck with him through the whole Hellmaster situation.  And Gourry… well, it was impossible not to like Gourry, wasn't it?

Amelia saw the realization dawn on Zelgadis's face and smiled.  "You see?  You're not a bad person, Mister Zelgadis.  I mean, you even saved Mister Jillas after he shot you."

Jillas chuckled nervously at the mention of his name.  "Uh, right…  Sorry 'bout that, boss!" he said with an apologetic wave.

"Well, I didn't really 'save' him," Zelgadis explained.  "And on top of that, I-wait a second, did you just call me boss again?"

"Uh huh!" Jillas said with a cheerful nod.  "Ye saved m' life!  I'll follow ye t' th' ends o' the earth!"

"I think I'm going to be sick," Zelgadis muttered miserably.  "Do you know what people are going to say when they see me walking down the street with the guy who tried to kill the High Priest following me?"

"Yeah!  I'll bet, they'll say, 'Ey, look at th' lucky guy wit' th' loyal servant!"

Zelgadis rolled his eyes and barely managed to suppress a sigh of frustration.  "Yeah.  Yeah, that's exactly what they'll say."

Amelia clapped a hand over her mouth to suppress her giggles.  "You're so lucky, Mister Zelgadis!"

"Yeah, lucky."  Zelgadis put an arm around Amelia's shoulders and led her a little ways away from Jillas.  "I have a few things that I have to check into, but I'll be back before the day is over.  Will you be ready to leave by then?"

"Leave?  Why are we leaving?"

"Something about you upset Rezo," Zelgadis patiently explained.  He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in Jillas's general direction and added, "On top of that, he thinks that I had something to do with that idiot's attempt to kill him.  We have to leave Sairaag and the sooner we do so, the better.  Now, go get your things together.  Don't tell anyone where you're going, either."

After seeing that Amelia made it into the fairgrounds safely, Zelgadis turned to his new companion.  "Jillas, you're my servant, right?"

"Tha's right!  'Cause ye saved m' life!" Jillas said with an eager nod.  

Zelgadis forced a smile and said, "That's right.  I did."  He glanced around as if making sure that nobody else was in earshot before conspiratorially whispering, "Now don't let it go to your head, but I think that you're a damned fine servant.  Possibly the best I've ever had."  His grin was quickly replaced with a scowl as he said, "I've got a problem though."

"A problem?  'M good wit' problems!  Let me fix it!"  Jillas practically hopped from foot to foot in anticipation of hearing Zelgadis's woes.

"You?  Why, I never even considered that!" Zelgadis said, struggling not to laugh.  "That's incredibly generous of you.  Okay, here's the deal.  I need someone to look after Amelia while I'm gone."

"Right!  Got t' look afta' Amelia!"  Jillas started to run off but was quickly restrained by Zelgadis's hand on his shoulder.

Taking a deep breath and quietly counting to ten, Zelgadis tersely said, "I wasn't finished, Jillas.  Seeing as you're a wanted criminal and you'll be killed on sight, I need you to be subtle.  Don't let anyone see you.  If anything goes wrong, I want you to make sure that Amelia gets away safely.  Can you do that for me?"

Jillas nodded, practically foaming at the mouth in his eagerness to carry out his task.  When Zelgadis nodded at him a moment later, he took off, darting out into the street without even bothering to look for guards.

Zelgadis watched in horror as Jillas made a spectacle of himself in his attempt to get into the fairgrounds.  "Now, what did I just tell him?" he muttered to himself as the fox-man darted right past a pair of soldiers without giving them so much as a second look.

************************************************************************

"I just don't understand," Lina said, a cup of tea clutched in her trembling hands.  "Sis told me how kind and just Rezo was.  That's not what I saw last night, though.  He was so mean and... and it was just wrong!  On top of that, Jillas said that Rezo ordered his entire race wiped out.  I don't know what to think anymore."  She thought again of how Luna had told her of Rezo's benevolence.  Her sister, perfect in every way, had been wrong.  That had upset her even more than the fact that Rezo wasn't compassionate.  She felt as if the High Priest hadn't just let her down, but instead had sullied Luna's memory as well.

Gourry watched as Lina regressed from the strong willed woman he knew to a sad little girl over the course of her story.  She'd lost something intangible but incredibly important when she'd discovered that Luna had been wrong about Rezo.  She'd lost her infallible hero.  He put a comforting arm around her shoulders as she got to the part about Luna's grave being empty.

 Lina smiled at Gourry gratefully and laid her cheek on his hand.  "They took her Xellos," she said, her voice full of hurt.  "Someone took Sis's body for who knows what reason.  After all she did for the church, why'd they do that to her?  How could Ceiphied allow something like this to happen?"

Xellos nodded as he sipped his tea.  Finally, Lina had gotten around to the question that she'd really wanted to ask the entire time.  "Those are grave charges, young lady.  Grave robbing and genocide.  By law, I should report you to the guards for heresy."

"But, you won't," Lina said hopefully.  "I know that you won't.  That's why I came to you.  You understand me.  You always knew what to say to make things better when I was a little girl.  Back before Luna died."

"You don't need my answers, Lina.  You're strong enough to stand on your own.  My work was done when you defeated the Hellmaster, but I refused to believe it.  I thought you still needed me.  I wanted you to need me."  Xellos chuckled sadly.  "It was the foolish hope of an old man."

"Xellos, are you okay?" Lina asked.  The priest wasn't making any sense.  "Do you need to lie down or something?"

Xellos favored Lina with a crooked grin.  "Oh, I'm quite fine, young lady.  I know what has to be done now."  He cocked his head as if listening to something and frowned.  "You know, now that I think about it, I do have some advice for you.  I think perhaps that you may want to run."

"What?" Lina mumbled quizzically.

Just then, Gaav's voice echoed through the cathedral.  "Xellos!  We know that you're harboring heretics in direct violation of the church's decree!"  The doors exploded inwards and the crimson haired warrior strode down the aisle with a dozen torch bearing guards behind him.

Gourry leapt to his feet and put a hand on the Sword of Light.  He scanned the room pessimistically.  A dozen men, half of whom he knew were skilled swordsmen.  And he wasn't even including the captain, a warrior whose skill may have surpassed his own.  He smiled grimly and prepared to defend Lina with his life.  "Light come-"

Xellos rapped the swordsman on the shoulder with his staff to get his attention and shook his head.  "Your death would accomplish nothing, young man.  Listen carefully because there isn't much time.  Take Lina out the back and through the cemetery.  You'll come to a tomb near the back of the churchyard.  It leads to a series of tunnels underneath Sairaag.  These will take you out of the city."

"Take Lina through the tunnels.  Got it," Gourry said with a quick nod.

"I haven't been down there in, oh, about two hundred and forty three years, so I'm not quite sure it's still safe, but it's the only choice you have."  His voice took on an ominous tone as he added, "Just watch out for the Fallen."

Gaav stopped a few feet away and held up a hand indicating that his troops should wait for further commands.  "Gabriev," he spat distastefully.  "I never thought you capable of treason.  I should have suspected something when you abandoned your post without so much as a word of explanation."  He nodded at Lina and growled, "I assume this little whore addled your brain with her feminine wiles.  A shame.  I had high hopes for you."

Growling angrily, Gourry stepped forward and yelled, "She's not a whore!  She's a waitress!"

Nobody really knew what to make of that statement and awkward silence filled the air for a few moments.  Finally, Lina cleared her throat and said, "Wow, um, thanks a lot, Gourry.  I think."

Xellos turned to Lina and smiled apologetically.  "I'm afraid this is where our time together ends, young lady."  He embraced her lovingly and tried to find a clean spot on her forehead to kiss.  "Just like when you first came back.  A dirty face and in trouble way over your head."

"Xellos?  What are you talking about?"  Lina swallowed nervously.  He didn't really mean that he was leaving, did he?  Where would he go?  What would she do without him?

Seeing the fear on Lina's face, Xellos whispered in her ear, "I'll give you some advice.  My last bit of advice.  Do what you think is right with the brief time that you have left."  Before Lina could ask him what that meant, he sighed and regretfully muttered, "I had hoped to see the children, but it seems that Ceiphied has chosen different roads for us both to tread."

"See the children…?" Lina repeated curiously before turning a bright shade of red at Xellos's implication.

Smiling at Lina's discomfort, Xellos turned and put a hand on Gourry's shoulder.  He nodded at Lina and said, "It's time, Gourry.  That young lady is quite dear to me and I trust that you'll keep your promise.  Let nothing happen to her.  Now, do as I instructed and I expect things will turn out for the best."

Gourry nodded and turned to grab Lina.  In doing so, he exposed his back to Gaav, who leapt forward, his broadsword raised over his head.

Scowling angrily, Xellos leapt forward to parry the killing blow with his staff.  Sharp steel struck wood and didn't so much as scratch it.  "Attacking your foe from behind?  Hardly fair, Mister Gaav.  Besides, your fight is with me."  He leapt back and assumed a defensive stance.

Gaav sneered at the elderly priest standing before him.  "You willingly shelter these heretics, old man?  For your treason, I sentence you to death."  

"Oh my!  Treason, you say?" Xellos said with a laugh.  "My sins are grave, but I do not count treason among them."  He smirked and asked, "What about you, Mister Gaav?  Since we're discussing treason, let's speak of your sins.  How many defenseless women and children did you kill in the war?"

Grinning evilly, Gaav motioned the guards forward, intending for them to catch fleeing Gourry and Lina.  "I'm going to enjoy killing you," he growled at Xellos.

Eyeing the approaching guards distastefully, Xellos quietly said, "You'll not pass.  Not while I draw breath."  He held up a hand and a violent gale swept through the church, flinging the guards away from the fleeing pair.  

Only Gaav stood his ground in the face of Xellos's assault.  His crimson hair whipped about his face in the wind as he muttered, "Cute."  He turned to his scattered lackeys and said, "Burn it."  The guards leapt to obey his command, setting torch to anything that would burn.  Just as the building caught, the Demon Dragon King stepped forward and raised his sword overhead.  "You say that I won't pass while you draw breath?  I'll remedy that presently."

Strangely enough, Xellos didn't even bother to defend himself.  An enigmatic smile upon his face, he nonchalantly cast his staff aside and opened his arms, almost as if he was welcoming Gaav's blow.  He glanced over his shoulder at Gourry and Lina.  The swordsman had his arms around the redhead's waist almost as if he was hugging her lovingly.  In truth, she was struggling to get away and help the priest, but it was a beautiful image nonetheless.  It'd be a good memory to take home with him.

Gourry gasped in surprise as he watched.  Xellos seemed to change just before the sword fell.  In a way, it looked as if the priest grew to fill the entire church.  The swordsman stared at this for a moment, finally realizing something incredibly important about Xellos.  Then he shook his head and turned away, tears flowing down his face.  He couldn't bear to watch what was about to happen.  "Come on, Lina.  We can't help him anymore."

Then, it happened.  Gaav's blade fell, violently hewing Xellos through his left shoulder.  So fierce was the blow that the blade traveled all the way through the old priest until it erupted from a point just above his right hip.

After the captain's cruel stroke fell, intense white light that seemed to emanate from Xellos's body.  The priest seemed to hover there for a moment, suspended between life and death.  Even after taking Gaav's grievous wound, his smile didn't waver.  He continued to watch Lina as he slowly dropped to his knees.  His eyes finally slid closed and he whispered, "So beautiful," when he saw what awaited him on the other side of death.  Then, the spell was broken and his body dropped unceremoniously to the ground, neatly sliced in two.

Lina shrieked Xellos's name as she watched him die.  Had Gourry not been holding her, she would have rushed over to attack Gaav with her bare hands.  Luckily, acrid smoke obscured the scene and she saw no more.  This seemed to calm her down a bit.  "Xellos!" she sobbed, reluctantly allowing Gourry to pull her from the scene.

Gaav stood in the rapidly burning church, a look of confusion upon his face.  There had been something, hadn't there?  Something odd, when the old man died.  He put a foot on Xellos's shoulder and rolled the bisected priest over onto his back.  "God," he whispered, recoiling instinctively from what he'd seen.

Xellos's amethyst eyes stared at Gaav accusingly.  Even though the priest was dead, his eyes seemed to follow the captain, boring into him intensely.

Finding himself unable to move, Gaav might have stayed there staring at the priest until he was consumed in the inferno as well.  The feeling of lieutenant's hand on his arm startled him back to reality.  "What?!" he demanded.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but the heretics are getting away."

Gaav shook his head angrily and glared at the doorway.  It was true.  They were gone.  He glanced back down at the priest to find Xellos's eyes shut and an infuriating smile upon his face.  The priest's last trick had given Lina and Gourry a head start in their flight from Sairaag.

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Next Chapter:  Mysteries in the dark

Notes:  Well, we've finally sorted out all that Xellos nonsense, right?  So, there's no need to ask any more questions about him as he won't even be mentioned in the rest of the story.  Just kidding, of course.  There will be a few revelations about him in the next chapter.

The opening scene in this chapter was originally going to be Lina saving Gourry.  However, I couldn't think of a way for her to do it.  The thing that bugged me most was trying to rationalize how Lina the toothpick was supposed to carry the guy that's twice her weight.

Reviewer Response:

Blue Lady, I can't tell you how pleased I am that you've taken an interest in the story.  I love "Ascend" (although I have gotten a little behind in my reading).  If you have any particular questions, feel free to ask them.  I might have addressed them in an earlier chapter.

Otaku Girl, you're actually racing to be the first to review?  Well, you usually are, so here.  *offers trophy*  Hmm, Seyruunian.  Seems weird that Rezo would react like that, doesn't it?

Miss Gabriev, you should know by now how hard it is to offend me.  If you truly hate Naga with all your heart (and poor sweet Sylphiel as well), more power to you.  You know what?  I take it back.  How dare you dislike kindhearted Sylphiel?  All she ever does is try to help people!  Just kidding!  Thanks for the review.

Pogo, the scene in the alley did explain something.  Someone in white got Lina's sword and then Rezo had it later.  Now, it would have been really odd if I hadn't put that scene in wouldn't it?  Still got the giggles over that line?  Cool.  Not talking about the tray…  Not talking about the tray…  Thanks for betaing!  *hands over chocolate covered cherries*

Thanks for the advice Dragonet.  I've been trying to write the story how it's supposed to be written instead of keeping it dark for dark's sake.  As for answering the question with a question, do you really want to know exactly when a plot point is going to be revealed?

???, how is it unfortunate that I write well?  I was a college student, yes.  As for my age… well, let's just say that I'm a good deal older than the average 14-16 old on ff.net, but I'm not over the hill yet.  "Old but young" sums it up pretty well, I suppose.

Until next time!


	28. Escaping the shadows

"Xellos!  Xellos!"  Lina called out for the priest hopelessly as Gourry dragged her through the graveyard.  The old priest who had done so much for her without any thought of reward was gone.  Had she ever thanked him for anything that he'd done?  He'd tried to teach her the proper way to live.  In response, she'd slept through his sermons.  He'd taken her in after Luna died.  She'd repaid that kindness by running away.  He'd turned the other cheek and given her a place to stay when she finally came back to Sairaag.  That time, she'd paid him back with her stubbornness and insults.

"Lina, come on!" Gourry growled.  He tugged on her wrist insistently, almost pulling her off her feet.  She gave him a pained look causing him to curse himself under his breath.  He hated to hurt her, but she was dragging her feet and he had a job to do.  "Take Lina through the cemetery to the tomb," he repeated to himself. "Go through the passages that lead out of the city."  His face lit up as he spied a mausoleum, strangely out of place amidst the modest headstones that adorned the rest of the graves.  "That has to be it."

"Gabriev!" Gaav roared as he strode out of the inferno that had once been Xellos's sanctuary.  "Stand and defend yourself, traitor!"  The Demon Dragon King hefted his blade menacingly as he quickly closed the distance between himself and his prey.

Gourry spared his former captain a single angry glance before drawing the Sword of Light.  A few quick slashes later the crypt no longer had a door.  The scent of death assaulted his senses as he sheathed the blade.  "Let's go, little girl," he said in a tone that implied that he would brook no complaints from his companion.  He quickly picked Lina up and slung her over his shoulder before plunging into the foreboding darkness of the tomb.  "We've got to move quick."  

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"Got t' take care o' Amelia," Jillas whispered as he hid in one of several barrels stacked right outside the door to the acrobat's wagon.  As luck would have it, the barrel was very cheaply made and he had no trouble seeing through the cracks between the boards.  It would be incredibly easy to watch anyone coming or going from the wagon.  He grinned and congratulated himself on his good fortune.

"These the ones?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Jillas's ears perked up at the sound of voices just outside of his hiding place.  He yelped in surprise as he felt himself lifted from the ground.

"Hey, did you hear something?" the first man asked.

"Probably just one of the animals.  Always yipping and hollering about something or other you know."

The first man grunted in exertion and complained, "Jeez, what's in these things?"

"Nothing.  Damn things won't even hold water," the second voice explained.  "That's why we're using them in the act."

Oh, right!  The, uh, um…"  There was the sound of fingers snapping as the man tried to pry the name of the act off the tip of his tongue.  "Oh, the Flaming Murder Saw of Doom, right?"  He chuckled and said, "I love that one."

"Flamin' murder saw o' doom?" Jillas repeated, his one good eye bugging out in terror.  He took a deep breath and whispered, "Got t' take care o' Amelia for th' boss."  That meant not screaming and blowing his cover.  No matter what happened, he would not give himself away.  Suddenly, his sensitive ears detected the sound of crackling flames and the cold noise of steel on steel.  "Mummy!  Th' flamin' murder saw o' doom!" he yelped, as he kicked the top off the barrel and leapt to freedom.

When he looked around, Jillas found himself standing a scant foot away from a cooking fire.  Sitting next to it was a grizzled chef sharpening a couple of knives.  Without batting an eye, the old timer said, "Hello there, young fella.  Fancy a hotdog?" while holding up a skewer containing several wieners that he'd been roasting.

Jillas took a step back and stared at the chef for a moment before totally panicking.  "Ye plannin' te toss me into th' flamin' murder saw o' doom!" he shrieked as he turned tail and bolted in what he thought was the direction of Amelia's wagon.

The chef watched the frightened little man flee for a few moments before turning to the two confused men that were still holding up the barrel.  "You guys reckon he doesn't like hotdogs?"

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Lina listened, straining to hear anything in the inky gloom.  She thought that maybe, just maybe there was some water dripping in the distance, but other than that there was only the sound of her hurried breathing.  They'd gone into the tomb and there had been stairs, just as Xellos had said.  Going down the stairs they had found… nothing.  Sunlight had never touched this dark place.  She swallowed nervously and whispered, "Gourry, I can't see," in what she thought was the direction of her protector.  She didn't like the dark at all.  "Use the Sword of Light."

"We can't," Gourry said from Lina's opposite side, startling the girl.  "It'll lead them right to us.  We have to stay in the dark for now."  He reached out and touched cool stone.  "It's okay though.  I found a wall.  Give me your hand and we'll follow it for a while."  When he reached out to Lina, his hand came to rest on soft flesh and he heard her gasp in surprise.  Gritting his teeth in anticipation of a violent beating, he whispered, "I… I'm not holding your hand, am I?"  A quick squeeze confirmed his suspicions.  He sighed and nodded regretfully.  "It's small.  Yeah, I was afraid that's what it was."  A moment later, he felt pain erupt in his jaw and he saw stars in the darkness.

"If you knew, why'd you have to squeeze me, Jellyfish?!" Lina hissed angrily.  "If you think that you're going to get weird on me down here, you'd better think again.  Try anything funny and I promise that nobody will ever find your body!"

Gourry had the distinct impression that had he been able to see, he would have found that Lina was looming over him with her hands planted on her hips.  "I'll be good," he squeaked in fear.

"Damn right, you will," Lina growled.  She felt around in the darkness until her hands came to rest on smooth stone.  "Hey, I found a wall!" she exclaimed.  "Gourry, give me your hand and we'll follow it for a while.  We'll get out of here yet."

"Yeah… good idea," Gourry muttered confusedly.  Hadn't he just suggested the exact same thing?  This time he waited until he felt her fingers brush against his face before grabbing her hand.  "I wonder why they're not following us?" he mused aloud as he glanced back in what he assumed was the direction of the entrance.

"Who cares?  It's better for us this way," Lina replied.

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"I am ordering you maggots to get down that hole and bring me those heretics!" Gaav snarled while jabbing his finger in the direction of the staircase.  "Afraid of the dark, are you?  Are you soldiers men or not?"  He grimaced and apologetically nodded at a woman who was glaring at him darkly.  "Sorry, Reika.  Figure of speech.  But as for the rest of you, I can't believe your cowardice!"  He reached out and snared the front of one man's uniform.  "Proctor, get your ass down there and find me those heretics!"  He then flung the hapless man down the stairs.

"Yes sir!  Whatever you say, sir!" Proctor said as he stumbled down into the gloom.  There was a crash as he apparently hit bottom and then a moment of silence.

"Well, what do you see?" Gaav called down the stairs.

"Nothing yet, sir!  But they couldn't have gone far.  Wait a second!  I see movement.  They're coming this way!  They're not stopping!"

"Show them your badge, son!" Gaav called down the stairs.  "They'll have to surrender if you show them that you're the authority!"

Halt!  Halt in the name of-"  There was a loud crunch and Proctor's panicked voice called out, "Captain!  Captain, they ate my badge!"

"Well, I, uh…"  Gaav shrugged and yelled, "Hell, boy!  I don't know!  Do something!  You're an officer of the law.  Subdue the criminals!"

There was an inhuman roar from the mouth of the tunnel and the sound of Proctor screaming.  A moment later, a loud belch issued from the opening quickly followed by something white and roundish.  

The object came to rest at Gaav's feet and he knelt down and curiously picked it up.  It was a human skull.  He snorted and muttered, "Well, that's assault of an officer if I ever saw it."  He tossed Proctor's head aside and turned to the troops.  "Alright!  Which one of you maggots is next?"  Seeing that he was alone all of a sudden, he sighed and stepped into the opening himself.  "What a bunch of cowards.  You throw one head at them and they scatter like a pack of chickens…"  He continued on his tirade, his complaints quickly becoming unintelligible as they echoed off the walls.

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Eris disembarked from the carriage just outside the fairgrounds.  Then, she casually strolled in like she owned the place.  There was no reason to sneak around.  After all, it was a circus, not the heavily guarded home of a minister or anything.  Stealth would accomplish nothing except to arouse suspicion.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Grinning inwardly, Eris turned to face the man that was going to tell her how to find Amelia.  "Good morning.  Maybe you could help me with something."

Alfred eyed Eris dubiously.  Tight black leather?  Thigh high boots?  It was obvious what was going on here.  "Ma'am, I'm sorry but we don't allow your kind on the grounds.  We run a family show here."

"My kind?  And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Eris asked coolly.  "Wait a second, you don't think that I'm…"

Shrugging apologetically, Alfred said, "Oh, you mean that you're not a prostit-"

In the blink of an eye, Eris had pulled a dagger from her boot and closed the distance between her and Alfred.  She wrapped him in a chokehold and dragged him into a nearby tent.  Once they had a bit of privacy, she hissed, "It figures.  An attractive woman wears an outfit that shows a bit of skin and she gets labeled a floozy!  For your information, I happen to think that this outfit is very comfortable!"

Alfred was unable to keep his mirth to himself despite the fact that there was a knife being pressed against his throat.  "Oh right."  He glanced down at the boots hugging Eris's legs and smirked.  "Nothing provocative about those things.  I'm sure you wear them for 'comfort," he said with a chuckle.

"What?  They are comfortable!  Listen, my outfit may be a little tight, but I don't wear it because of how it looks.  Wearing less means that there's a smaller chance of me getting snagged on anything."  Eris pressed the blade a little harder against Alfred's throat and added, "Since you're so hot to tell me what I look like, let's talk about you for a second.  At least I'm not wearing a bright pink shirt."  She eyed the gaudy colors that he was wearing suspiciously.

"Hey, I know it looks bad."  Alfred grimaced as he glanced down at his light green pants and baggy pink shirt.  "But, it's a costume for my performance.  It's supposed to be… flamboyant."

Eris nodded knowingly.  "Oh, okay.  'Flamboyant.'  Is that what you want to call it?  Because I can think of a couple other words for it."  She snickered cruelly and said, "Honestly.  Green and pink?  Tell me, was your husband punishing you when he dressed you like this?"

Alfred rolled his eyes.  "Ouch.  You know, that really hurts coming from the modest bondage queen."

"Although I must admit that the material's nice," Eris said while rubbing a bit of the pink fabric between her fingers.  "What is this, some kind of cotton blend?"

"Cotton?  Oh, please," Alfred said with a smug look on his face.  "I'll have you know, this is one hundred percent Zefielian silk, babe."

"No!  Get out of here!" Eris said with a grin.  "You're pulling my leg, aren't you?  That stuff costs an arm and a leg!  Where'd you get this?!"

"Actually, I picked it up in Atlas City a few months back.  We were doing a show down there and-"

Eris smacked her forehead in frustration.  What was she doing?  "Alright, that's enough!" she barked at Alfred.  "I'm looking for a girl."

Alfred snorted.  "Dressed like that and looking for a girl?  I should have guessed."

"Not that kind of girl.  Amelia.  I'm looking for Amelia.  Tell me where she is and I'll spare your life."  Eris held the point of the knife a scant inch from Alfred's eye as she spoke.

"Sooo, I guess this means you don't want to hear about the shirt?" Alfred muttered as he uncomfortably eyed Eris's blade.

A moment later, Eris hid Alfred's unconscious form under several bales of hay and left the tent.  She made a beeline for Amelia's wagon.  A quick kill and today's work would be over.  Maybe she'd go shopping afterwards.  She had to admit, that was a nice shirt.

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Lina and Gourry walked on in silence for what might have been anything from a few minutes to a few hours.  It was impossible to tell when the only thing they had to go by was the sound of their footsteps.  And those echoed so much that they were impossible to count.  It almost felt as if they'd fallen out of time.

That's what Lina was thinking anyway.  For his part, Gourry was thinking about how cool the echoes were.  If they weren't being pursued, he wouldn't have minded sitting down and belting out some "hellos" just to hear his voice come back to him.  Hey, now that he thought about it…  "Lina, why are they chasing us, anyway?  Didn't we save that High Priest guy from blowing up?"

"Yeah, that's right Gourry," Lina said in a tone of resignation.  "That doesn't matter though.  We're outcasts.  Rezo probably thought that we had something to do with the attack.  Now, they're going to hunt us until we're dead."

"Oh," Gourry said with a frown.  Until they were both dead, huh?  "Well, I won't let them hurt you, Lina.  Xellos told me to take care of you."

"Xellos…" Lina whispered sadly.  "Why'd he have to die?"

"I'm not so sure that he's dead, Lina," Gourry said after a moment of quiet contemplation.  After the incident at the church, he thought that he finally understood what the priest had been.

"Gourry, he got cut in half.  That would make anybody pretty dead, you know?"

Gourry tugged on Lina's hand indicating that she should stop walking for a moment.  "He's not dead, Lina.  I promise he isn't.  He just went home, I think.  His work was done, so there wasn't any reason for him to stay."

"Why do you keep saying that?  Don't you know dead when you see it?  What, does he have to be chewed up and spit out by a bunch of demons before you admit that he's gone?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess that might do it.  Not a sword though.  The sword didn't hurt him.  Didn't you see what he was, Lina?"

"No, Gourry.  All I saw was my friend being cut down because he tried to help me.  If you're so smart, why don't you tell me what he was?" Lina growled impatiently.

"Lina, he was an angel."

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Amelia hurried around her wagon, haphazardly tossing her things into a bag.  Since Martina had moved out, things were a lot more organized and she had no trouble finding everything that she needed.  "We're supposed to be traveling light," she told herself as she tried to choose between a few outfits.  Finally deciding that she needed them all, she hurriedly shoved them into the bag and set it beside the other three that were already stacked by the door.

A sudden and insistent pounding at the door caused Amelia to squeak in surprise.  Cautiously, she crept over to the door and laid her ear against it.  She could hear panting on the other side, as if whoever was out there had run a long distance.  "H-Hello?" she hesitantly muttered.  "Who's out there?"

The person on the other side of the door suddenly slammed their shoulder into it, knocking Amelia down and breaking the flimsy lock.  The door flew open to reveal an exhausted Jillas.  He sighed in relief when he saw Amelia and quickly stepped in and slammed the door again.  "Beggin' ye pardon, Miss, but we hafta' go," he said as he hastily scooped up her bags in his arms.

"Why?  What happened?  Where's Mister Zelgadis?"

Jillas stopped what he was doing in favor of figuring out the answers to her questions.  "We hafta' go 'cause o' th' trouble.  Th' villains tried te feed me t' th' flamin' murder saw o' doom.  Um, an' th' boss is busy.  We're s'possed t' meet him a litt' later.  Come on, then."  Amelia's luggage in hand, he turned to find himself face to face with Eris.  "'Ello there," he said with a nervous chuckle.

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"An… an angel?!" Lina muttered incredulously.  "Why would you think something like that?"

"Well, it makes sense if you think about it.  First of all, he didn't breathe.  I figured that out at the church when he was telling me to take care of you.  That meant that he wasn't human."  Gourry scratched his head thoughtfully.  "Unless he was holding his breath, but I don't think so."

Lina whacked Gourry on the head.  "He wasn't holding his breath!  Get on with it!"

"Okay.  Do you remember when he said that angels were beautiful people with wings?  Well, he was pretty wasn't he?  He looked pretty good for an old guy anyway.  How old did you say he was?"

"I think he was about sixty," Lina muttered thoughtfully.  Xellos had been handsome, hadn't he?  Aside from a bit of gray at his temples, which actually served to make him look more regal, not a single mark of old age had marred his face.

On top of that, just before the captain cut him, I saw his wings.  Did you see them?"

"I… I didn't see anything.  There was too much smoke."  Lina was a little overwhelmed by what Gourry was telling her and had to sit down to digest it.

"They were beautiful, Lina.  Lovely white feathers with a few black ones here and there."  Gourry sat down beside the redhead and took both of her hands within his own.  "They filled the entire church when he spread them.  It was amazing.  I must have been the only one to see them."

"How can that be, Gourry?  You said they filled the church, right?  Everyone should have seen them."

"I think it was because Xellos let me see them.  I know that the rest of them didn't.  If they had seen them, I don't think they would have had the heart to kill him."  His voice quavered and his eyes filled with tears as he recalled the scene.  "Nobody with a shred of decency could kill anything that wonderful."  He nodded knowingly and said, "They were invisible.  Just like I always knew they were."

"Hold on a second, Gourry.  Let me see if I have this right.  You're saying that the guards were invisible?" Lina muttered quizzically.

"No, the wings," Gourry patiently explained.  "The wings were invisible."

Lina shook her head irritably.  She could feel the onset of a massive headache.  "Gourry, you're really starting to confuse me.  Why do you think Xellos's wings were invisible?"

"Because I didn't see yours.  Xellos said that angels were beautiful people with wings and you didn't have any.  So, I knew that they had to be invisible."  Gourry frowned as another possibility came to mind.  "Unless they fell off or something.  Lina, did you lose your wings?"  When Lina was quiet for the next few moments, he began to worry that something was wrong.  "I'm sorry, are your wings a sensitive subject?"

"You… You think I'm beautiful?" Lina whispered.

Gourry gave Lina's hands a quick squeeze and was about to answer when his keen ears picked up the sound of something scraping in the dark.  "Did you hear that?" he asked as he quickly climbed to his feet.  The noise came again, but from a different side.  "Something's out there."

Lina didn't answer.  Her gaze darted around the chamber, desperately trying to see anything in the gloom.  The sound of dripping water that she'd heard when they first entered was gone.  Now there was nothing.  "Gourry…" she whispered as she quickly stood and wrapped her arms around his waist.  He was the only thing she had in the dark and she wasn't going to let him get away.  All of a sudden, she felt something slick wrap around her leg and begin to tug.  "Gourry!" she repeated, tightening her grip on him.

"Whatever you do, don't let go of me," Gourry instructed as he drew the Sword of Light.  He wrapped one arm around Lina's shoulders and held the sword overhead in the other.  "Light come forth!"

The blade sprang into being, shedding daylight on a place that had never known anything but darkness.  The cavern was huge, its darkest corners barely illuminated by the glow of the sword.  Not more than two feet away on every side of Lina and Gourry were hundreds, if not thousands, of grotesque creatures.

The beasts looked to be a bizarre cross between a toad and a man.  They had gray mottled skin and four vaguely humanoid limbs.  Their heads were three times the size of a man's, horribly out of scale to the rest of their bodies, with large inky black eyes, not unlike a shark.  Large drooping sacks of skin hung from their throats, almost dragging along the ground.  The most frightening thing about them was their mouths.  They all appeared to be grinning, displaying dagger like teeth that were easily as long as Lina's forearm.  One of the beasts had extended a long black tongue.  That was what had gripped Lina's leg.

The sudden illumination had an instant effect on the beasts.  There were audible pops as hundreds of pairs of eyes not accustomed to light exploded.  The beasts shrieked in anger and pain as they scattered back into the darkness.  Thankfully, the one that had grabbed Lina decided that a meal wasn't worth all the pain and turned to flee with the others.

Gourry raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.  "Huh, well I guess that's explains why the guards didn't follow us."  Feeling his companion trembling against him, he glanced down to see a look of near panic etched on Lina's features.  "Hey, are you okay?"

Lina stared after the creatures, on the verge of hyperventilating.  "They…  They…  They were going to eat…  They wanted to eat…"  Visions of the flaming apparition that had pursued her as a child came unbidden to her mind.  It had wanted the same thing, hadn't it?  "Why does everything want to eat me?!" she shrieked.  A crazed look in her ruby eyes, she reached up, snagged Gourry's collar, and pulled him down to eye level.  "Do I look tasty?" she asked.

"What?!"

"Answer the question!" Lina yelled, shaking the bewildered swordsman angrily.  "I must look tasty.  That's the only explanation I can come up with.  Do I taste like chicken or something?"  She shoved her arm into Gourry's face.  "Taste me and tell me if I've got a chickeny flavor.  Go on.  Just take a small bite though."  She squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of being nibbled on.

Gourry eyed the trembling woman nervously.  "Lina, you're scaring me.  I don't want to taste you."  He wrapped her in a reassuring hug as he looked around the chamber again.  "Well, I guess those were the Fallen things that Xellos was talking about.  They seem to be afraid of the light though, so we should be okay."  He began to walk with Lina clinging to his waist like glue.  "I wonder why they're called the Fallen, anyway.  Do you think they're clumsy or something?"

"Gourry, I am really not in the mood for your stupid questions."  Lina bit her lip thoughtfully before adding, "They didn't seem clumsy.  They actually looked pretty capable for a couple of things that just had their eyes popped.  Maybe the name's just supposed to be intimidating?  Where'd they come from, I wonder?"

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Jillas yelped in fear as he ducked a swift strike from Eris.  Her silver blade glinted menacingly in the light, leaving no doubt in his mind of the danger he was in.  He quickly tried to scrabble under Amelia's bed, but the Slayer was too quick for him.

Grinning evilly, Eris roughly yanked the howling shape shifter out into the open and raised her knife.  "Say goodnight, you filthy little creature."  Just before the blade fell, a rickety wooden stool exploded against the back of her skull.  She paused for a second; looking a little confused before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell over unconscious.

Amelia quickly cast the broken leg of the stool aside and helped Jillas to his feet.  "Are you alright, Mister Jillas?"

The look that Jillas gave Amelia caused a chill to run up her spine.  "Ye… Ye saved m' life," he whispered, his good eye sparkling with barely contained joy.

"I did?" Amelia said quizzically.  Then she figured out what Jillas was getting at.  "No!  No!" she protested while waving her arms frantically.  "I didn't really save you," she explained, laughing nervously the entire time.  "I just held the stool up.  Gravity did most of the work.  So, you don't owe me anything, okay?"

"I'll follow ye t' th' ends o' the earth," Jillas said happily.  "Ye an' th' boss, both.  C'mere, sis!  Big hug!"  He lunged forward and wrapped Amelia in a powerful embrace.

Amelia looked down in disbelief as Jillas buried his face in her chest.  "That's… That's great, Mister Jillas," she said while awkwardly patting him on the shoulder.  "I really appreciate it."

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Gaav swore as he banged his shin against a rock in the dark.  "Goddamn dark," he muttered.  There was no way he was going to let those two escape even if they did try to intimidate him by eating his right hand man.  Wouldn't work.  It was the oldest trick in the book and he wasn't falling for it.

Strange.  Hadn't there been the noise of dripping water before?  And what was that odd scraping noise?

The ringing sound of steel being drawn rang out in the dark as Gaav readied his blade.  He cocked his head and listened.  There it was again.  The scraping noise.  Something was approaching.  "Stand and fight, Gabriev.  I'll give you and the girl a quick death."  He began to wave the sword around in the gloom in an attempt to find his opponent.

Then it happened.  Something wet snagged Gaav's wrist, making him drop his blade.  Before he even had a chance to question this new development, the creatures were upon him.  His surprised yell echoed in the gloom for only a moment before all returned to stillness.

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"What do you suppose this place is?" Gourry asked as he looked around the cavern.  It was strange.  He got the distinct impression that the cave was thousands of years old and yet some of the walls seemed to be freshly hewn.  "It's strange, don't you think?" he asked while holding the Sword of Light up to better illuminate their surroundings.

"It is pretty weird," Lina agreed.  "I wonder how long it's been since people have been down here?"  She pointed to a nearby wall covered with strange markings and said, "Take a look at that."  Curious, she broke away from Gourry's side for the first time since they'd gone down into the tunnels.  "What do these letters say?"  She traced one of the markings with a finger causing it to crumble into a fine powder.  "Wow.  It's old.  Really old."

"It's a tomb," Gourry said after a moment of examination.  "Look."

Lina looked at the wall again, noting for the first time that there were hundreds of niches carved into the stone.  "Burial chambers," she mumbled curiously.  "Who were they?"  There had to be at least five hundred of the alcoves carved into the walls around them.

"Hmm," Gourry muttered as he examined the letters with the look of a person struggling to comprehend complex math.  "I know what these are!" he exclaimed excitedly after a moment.  "I've seen these before!"

"You can read them?!" Lina asked in disbelief.

"No, but I have seen them before.  Some of the letters were on Amelia's ring."  He pointed to a random marking and said, "See?  That was on it.  So was that one.  What'd Amelia call it?  Sunny?  Sumerian?  Supermanian?  Oh, I can't remember."  He walked towards the wall and handed Lina the Sword of Light.  "Here, hold this for a second.  I want to take a look at something."  As soon as Gourry released his hold on the hilt, they were instantly plunged into darkness.

Lina shrieked in terror.  "Take it back!  Take it back!"  She immediately tried to hand the hilt back to Gourry.  A clatter echoed through the chamber as soon as it left her fingers.  Her spirit sank when she heard that noise.  "You dropped it, didn't you?"

"I dropped it?!  I never even got to touch it!  Why'd you throw it at me, anyway?"  Gourry got down on hands and knees and felt about, frantically searching for the sword.  "Why'd you let it go out?"

"I didn't let it go out!" Lina said angrily.  "It did it by itself.  I'm not that good with it."  Scrabbling around in the dirt, she whined, "Come on, where is it?"

"You used it against that Hellbasher guy, right?"

"Those were extenuating circumstances, Gourry," Lina growled through clenched teeth.  "I was dying, you know!  It kind of put things in perspective at the time."

"Well, we're going to be dying in a few seconds if we don't find it.  Do you hear that?"

Lina cocked her head and gasped in fear when she heard the sound of a multitude of feet scrabbling over the rocks.  Now that the light was gone, the creatures were coming back.  "Find it!" she yelped.  "Find it, find it, find it!"

Gourry's hand brushed against something metallic a moment later.  He instinctively latched onto it and yelled, "Light come forth!"  In his haste, he didn't notice that he was holding the sword backwards.  He avoided impaling himself on the blade by a fraction of an inch.  Luckily, it did manage to skewer one of the creatures behind him.  The beast's mouth had been open wide and it would have bitten the swordsman's head off his shoulders in another second.  He leapt to his feet and whirled, his blade ending four more lives before he ended his deadly assault standing defensively over the kneeling Lina.

"I could have done that," Lina pouted.  "If only I had my sword.  Hey, where is my sword, anyway?"

"If you didn't leave your things lying all over town like you owned the place, you wouldn't have this problem," Gourry suggested as he decapitated another of the creatures.  Apparently, they weren't quite as intimidated by the light this time around.

Lina cowered behind Gourry, feeling incredibly useless.  There had to be something she could do to help him.  "I need a sword," she complained angrily as the throng pressed in around them.  They wouldn't last long under these circumstances.

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High above the hustle and bustle of the city streets at the very top of the capital building were the administrative chambers of the ministers of Sairaag.  Stone composed three of the walls in the chamber.  The fourth was a grandiose stained glass window depicting Ceiphied.  The window faced east, allowing the morning sun to bathe the room in a rainbow of colors.  A large table dominated the room itself.  Normally, it would have been in the center of the room, but Rezo had it moved aside in favor of a simple desk while he was visiting.  

It was at that desk that the High Priest was currently sitting, dozing uncomfortably in the midmorning light.  Draped across his lap was Lina's sword.  He fidgeted as he slept, muttering quietly at times, almost shouting at others.  And always he clutched the blade.

In one of the few shadows of the room, something stirred.  A vaguely humanoid figure staggered drunkenly out of the dark to stand in the sunlight.  Had Diol still been alive, he would have bragged that it was his creation, his super Slayer.  However, Vrumugun had become something far more than the sum of a few parts haphazardly stitched together by a mad surgeon.

A tattered tan cloak covered bare flesh.  The former Slayer wore nothing underneath.  Not that he would have been able to.  Diol had changed him just enough that normal clothes would not fit him.  Several vestigial limbs sprouted from his body.  A woman's left arm had been attached just above his right hip.  His right leg had two knees where Diol had attached an extra calf and foot to his creation.  After all, four legs would let him run that much faster.  Unfortunately, Vrumugun had decided that he was done before Diol had, so he only had three.  Three ears were bound to his chest in addition to a nose.  His face was the most heavily modified part of his body, however.  A violet eye glancing around in random directions was imbedded in his cheek.  His cheeks bulged grotesquely; his mouth unable to properly close containing the two fingers that had replaced his tongue; another of the seemingly random "improvements" made by his creator.

Vrumugun looked around the chamber for a moment, looking but not seeing with his glazed over eyes.  His nostrils flared almost as if he smelled something and he slowly lumbered over to where the High Priest sat.  He stared down at Rezo for a moment before reaching out to pry Lina's sword from his grasp.  Holding the sword at eye level, his mouth dropped open and saliva coated fingers reached out to scrape a bit of dried blood off the blade.

The effect on the creature was instantaneous.  While Vrumugun had worn an expression of utter impassiveness before, an ugly snarl crossed his face after tasting the blood.  He roared in fury and flung the sword down.

Rezo's eyes flew open and his hands instinctively flew to his staff.  In a second, he was on his feet ready to defend himself.  He glanced around the room suspiciously.  The scent of death hung in the air, putting him on edge.  There was nothing though.  Lina's sword lay on the floor before him.  The noise must have woken him when it fell.  He sighed wearily as he reached down to pick it up.  He was so very tired all the time.  If the people didn't need his guidance, he'd be more than happy to go to his eternal reward.

Leaning back in the plush chair with a content sigh, Rezo laid the sword back across his lap.  He ran his hand along the blade as he tried to get back to sleep.  Something was odd.  His brow creased in thought, he lifted the sword to examine it.  Fresh fingerprints, glaringly obvious upon casual inspection, smeared the blood.  "Who?" he muttered quietly, not feeling the least bit tired anymore.

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Next Chapter:  The metamorphosis

Notes:  Good fun, this chapter.  I managed to work a bit of everything in (or at least I hope I did).  Action, humor, and just a touch of romance.  I even managed to work in a minor revelation about Xellos.  And yes, I do consider it minor.  As usual, the trickster priest has more than one secret.

My only problem with the chapter is that Lina came off looking a little weak, but she'll shine a bit more in 29 and beyond.  I guess there's nothing wrong with her playing the damsel in distress for a bit.

Reviewer Response:

Xelena, welcome back!  Thanks for the comments.  Your questions have been answered in recent chapters.

Miss Gabriev, after listening to Jillas talk for an hour as he told his life story, everyone has a basic understanding of how he talks.  As for Xellos, I don't know if he's coming back, but he'll still have an impact on the story, one way or another.  And yep, Diol wanted Lina's heart.  I doubt he'll get it now, though.

Otaku Girl, Sylphiel is dealing with the adventure of raising a hyperactive, formerly possessed ten-year-old boy.  Exciting enough for her, but not really relevant to the story at this point, so don't expect to see too much of her.  Who knows though?  She might have a part to play near the end.  I haven't written that far ahead yet.

Stara, funny you asked about Gaav knowing Lina's whereabouts.  I was actually writing the explanation for that when I got your review (discussed in the next chapter, by the way).  Interesting theory on Lina's prophesy.  We'll just have to wait and see how it pans out, huh?  Never read George Martin, does he have any particularly notable novels?

Colin, long time no see!  Glad to see you're still with the story and you'll be happy to know that there's more L/G in the next few chapters.

Ack!  A self destructing fan?!  I know how to fix this.  *pulls out wire cutters*  Hmm, which wire do I cut..?  Hope you liked the bit of explanation about Xellos, Dragonet.  And I am protecting secrets.  If I told you what was what, then it wouldn't be a surprise.  Not to mention the fact that I'm not always sure when things are going to happen or if they're going to turn out as I planned.  So if I were to say, "Lina's going to be a vampire," and it never happened, I'd look pretty dumb, wouldn't I?  As for why I'm evasive instead of saying it straight, I dunno, I guess I just like teasing you guys once in a while.  It's all in good fun.

I'm too darn good?  Well thank you very much!  Should I tone down the story a bit in the next chapter?  I could put some mistakes in or something if you think I'm TOO good.  Just kidding!  Thanks for the compliment, ???.

Pogo, thank you very much, as always, for your betaing.  The changes to Xellos's death scene were subtle, like you said.  Mostly, I expanded his dialogue a bit to try to make his actions a little more sensible and just because it read a lot better the second way.

Thank you all for reviewing and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	29. Manifestation of Darkness

Zelgadis slipped into the familiar darkness of his lair, thankful that he was finally out of the sun.  It had been an unpleasant trip home without his cloak which he had leant Amelia earlier that morning.  Creeping from shadow to shadow, desperately trying to avoid the rays of the sun, it all served to make him quite miserable.  Normal people didn't fear the light of day.  If they hadn't been in such a dire situation, Amelia probably would have loved to lay out in the sunlight, feeling its pleasant heat on her face.

Fetching a deep sigh, Zelgadis started down the cool stairs into darkness.  Thinking about Amelia enjoying the day while he hid in the darkness did little to make him feel better.  It was a happy image, Amelia napping in a grassy field, the sunlight illuminating a content smile upon her face, but it did little save to remind him that it was one of the experiences he'd never be able to share with her.  Glancing down at his red and blistering skin, he wondered what it was like for her, enjoying a sunny day.  How did the light feel on her skin?  He'd never known, being cursed with his condition since birth.  He tried to imagine it; tried to understand why it made her smile, but found himself thinking only of how agonizing it was for him.

"Don't be stupid," Zelgadis admonished himself with a shake of his head.  He was who he was and wondering about what might have been would only serve to make him more miserable than usual.  Taking another step down the stairs, he suddenly hissed in fear, the image of Amelia grotesquely changed in his mind's eye.

The acrobat had been sleeping in a meadow before.  That much hadn't changed.  But now, she would never wake.  Death had claimed her.  She was sprawled out on the ground, her limbs appearing to be broken in several places.  The formerly lush grass had been stained red by her blood.  Every inch of exposed skin bore ugly symbols, carved into her flesh with what appeared to be a very fine blade.  Judging by the way they had bled, she had been alive for at least part of the ordeal.  She had been split open from belly to breastbone, her insides now on the outside.  Finally there was her face, unmarked by her attacker, but bearing an expression of agony.  Zelgadis got the sense that it wasn't the physical pain that had hurt most, but the agony of betrayal.  Somehow, he knew that this was his doing.  Just as he knew what the symbols on her skin meant.  He'd never studied the dark language of Chaos, but he knew just the same.  They all said, "Rebirth."

Zelgadis lost his footing and tumbled the rest of the way down the staircase.  When he hit the bottom, tears were streaming down his face.  He'd dreamed of Amelia being hurt before, but never while he was awake and never so vivid.  He fancied that he could smell the hot stink of new death; taste the coppery tang of blood on the breeze.

Then it was gone. Zelgadis lay on the floor, curled into a tight ball, struggling to banish the last lingering remnants of that horrible vision from his thoughts.  Then, the pain that had plagued him for the last month struck again and struck hard.  The last conscious thought that he had before his mind was overwhelmed by agony was that he couldn't let Zolf hear.  If his servant came to investigate his screams there was no telling what could happen.  Zolf hadn't been exempt from his bloody dreams and he wouldn't risk making them a reality.  Just before he lost control, he bit down on his forearm to stifle the noises of his suffering, his fangs sinking deep and scraping bone.  Then, everything became red.

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Rezo sat at his desk, penning the document that would officially brand Lina and her friends as heretics and cast them out of the church.  He'd already released Gaav and Eris upon them, which should be sufficient, but the document would make their fallen status public knowledge. Then there would be no place for them to hide.  They were probably dead already, but it was always better to be sure.

Just then, the door to the office flew open with a loud crash.  Rezo glanced up at the man standing in the doorway and winced sympathetically.  "I take it you've had a pretty rough day, captain?"

Gaav sneered as he strode into the room.  He was coated from head to toe in black oily blood and his sword had been broken in half.  When he reached Rezo's desk he unceremoniously flopped down in a chair and propped his muddy feet up on the corner with a satisfied grunt.  "With all due respect, sir, I want some goddamn hazard pay," he said as he tossed a bloodstained sack on top of the High Priest's writings.  "I don't get paid enough to police the city and whatever those things are underneath it."

"Underneath, captain?" Rezo asked as he undid the cord binding the sack.  The parcel tumbled open and several vaguely humanoid heads rolled across his desk and onto the floor.  "They were with the priest," he said, recognizing the creatures that Gaav had brought him.  

"That's right," Gaav said with a nod.  "It was just like you said.  How'd you know where they were going to be?"

Rezo glanced at a white cloak that had been carelessly tossed in a corner of the chamber and grinned smugly.  "My little songbird told me."  Before Gaav could ask what he meant, he said, "The priest took them into the tunnels.  And you pursued, but I take it that you didn't get them, did you?"  He swept the rest of the grotesque trophies onto the floor with an impatient sigh and resumed writing on his blood-spattered parchment.  "Such incompetence, captain."  He shook his head irritably and asked, "Why am I surrounded by such gross incompetence?"

Far from being upset, Gaav grinned as he produced one final prize from within his coat.  "I wouldn't say that.  I got you the old man, at least."  He casually lobbed Xellos's head to the High Priest.  Rezo's reaction was not at all what he expected.

"By Ceiphied!" Rezo yelled as he looked into Xellos's glassy eyes.  He quickly flung the head away and pushed himself away from the desk with such force that he overturned his chair and fell to the floor.

Gaav grimaced and hustled to Rezo's side.  "Sorry about that, sir," he said as he helped the smaller man to his feet.

"Captain, if you ever throw another man's head at me, please believe me when I say that yours will be the next to decorate my desk."  Rezo never took his eyes off of Xellos's as he spoke.  The priest's head had come to rest a few feet away and, of course, he appeared to be smirking at the High Priest.

"Duly noted, sir.  Never knew you to be the squeamish type though." Gaav remarked as he walked over to pick up Xellos's head.  He casually tossed it from hand to hand and grinned.  "You used to be just as bloodthirsty as the most heartless mercenary.  Are you going soft in your old age?"

"It's not squeamishness, captain.  This man has caused me a lot of… trouble over the years.  It was just a little disconcerting to have his head land in my lap, you understand."  Rezo approached Gaav cautiously, almost as if he expected Xellos's head to spring to life and attack.  "Are you really dead?" he whispered to the priest.

"I'd have to say so.  That was a strange thing though," Gaav said with a shrug.  "He let me kill him.  And he smiled while he did it.  Crazy old man."

"Yes, I suspect he was quite mad," Rezo said quietly, unable to tear his eyes away from the creature that had tormented him for so long.  "Quite mad, indeed."  Instead of feeling relief at the knowledge that his foe was dead, the High Priest instead felt a horrible sense of foreboding.  If Xellos was gone, it could only mean that he didn't think that he was needed anymore.  Which could only mean that he'd found someone to finish his work.  "I want Inverse found and killed without delay," he said angrily.  "I'll not tolerate any more mistakes, captain."

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Two figures crept through the back alleys of Sairaag.  Normally, even during the day, taking such an action was considered foolhardy, but things were far more perilous out in the open.  Besides, they were more dangerous than any lowly thief lurking in the shadows.

"And once we get out o' th' city, I know a great place t' 'ide," Jillas explained as he shifted one of Amelia's bags from hand to hand.  "Jus' ye watch, Sis!  I'll take care o' ye an' th' boss.  We'll go t' my 'omeland.  Nothin' left there, so 'Ezo won't even bother t' look."  He suppressed a pained grunt as he felt a twinge in his back.  Did she really need all this stuff?  

Amelia grimaced as she watched Jillas struggle with her bags.  Taking a step towards him, she said, "You know, I could carry some of those…"

Jillas vehemently shook his head and quickly scampered out of Amelia's reach.  The way he'd reacted, one might think that she was trying to steal his property.  "Uh-uh!  No' te' problem, Sis!"  He pulled the largest of her bags a little higher up on his back to show exactly how little trouble it was.

  "Well, thank you, Mister Jillas."  Amelia had a warm smile on her face as she shook her head.  Not twenty-four hours ago, Jillas had tried to shoot her; had shot Zelgadis, and now he was chatting with her friendly as can be.  It was strange for someone with such a sad life to be so kind and helpful.  "Why were your people killed?" she asked after a moment of thought.

Jillas shrugged and said, "Don't rightly know that, Sis.  F' generations th' fox tribe has always kept t' themselves.  Never harmin' nobody.  Mos' o' us never even seen a normal 'uman 'til them Slaya's came wit' their silva'."

"How do you know so much about people then?  And gunpowder?"  Amelia glanced down at the pistol tucked into Jillas's belt.  "That's new technology.  Even the Imperial Army hasn't really begun using them yet."

"Well, I've always been fascinated b' 'umans and their stuff.  Tha's how come I talk so good.  I started teachin' m'self when I was jus' a lad o' six," Jillas explained, his chest swelling with pride.  "Don' I soun' good, Sis?  Jus' like one o' th' natives!"

"Huh?  What?" Amelia said, as she struggled to translate Jillas's long sentences.  "Oh, right!  You sound great, Mister Jillas!"  She patted him on the shoulder affectionately, causing his knees to wobble dangerously.  "Sorry about that."

"It's a'right," Jillas replied with a cheerful nod.  "The tribe made me th' official ambassada' t' th' 'umans.  Even made me a badge."  He fetched a deep sigh as he said, "Should've stayed 'ome.  Me mum always told me tha' messin' wit' 'umans would only bring trouble, but I ne'er listened.  I shoulda' though.  When 'Ezo learned o' our existence, 'e ordered us wiped out.  I 'eard 'em as I ran.  'Eard 'em talkin' about killin' us t' keep th' Eternal Twilight from 'appenin' again.  Then, I swore t' get m' revenge on 'Ezo and ye know th' rest."

Amelia sniffled and wiped away a tear.  "What a sad story.  I'm so sorry, Mister Jillas!"

"I's not a problem.  I got more important things t' worry 'bout now anyway.  I got t' take care o' ye n' th' boss.  Two o' the nicest mastas' a guy could eva' wish for."  Jillas nodded as they reached the mouth of the alley.  The city gates stood about twenty feet away.  "Tha's where we're goin'.  Now we jus' wait f' th' boss."

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"Lina, why aren't they stopping?"  Gourry twirled the Sword of Light over his head and brought it around at waist level, neatly splitting two of the creatures in half.  Four more replaced it.

"I don't know!" Lina yelled as she hopped back to avoid gnashing teeth.  One of the beasts lashed out with its tongue and snagged her wrist.  At that moment, another one leapt towards her, meaning to snatch the redheaded appetizer from its brother.  She grimaced and yanked her arm back, jerking the first beast off balance.

In its zeal, the second bit down on where Lina's arm had been a moment before, neatly severing the tongue of the first.  Before her horrified eyes, the luckless creature's tongue had been slurped up like a noodle.  Then the beasts turned on their wounded companion and devoured him in a whirlwind of teeth and claws.

"Ugh, I really could have done without seeing that," Lina muttered, feeling a little ill.  She quickly backed up until she felt cool stone behind her.  At least this way nothing could get her from behind.  "C'mon Lina, think!" she growled while tugging on her hair in frustration.  Xellos wouldn't have really sent them to their deaths like this, would he?  That meant that there had to be a way out of the situation.

"Lina, if you're going to do something, do it quick!" Gourry yelled.  One of the Fallen leapt onto his back meaning to nibble on his neck.  Instead, it got the blade of the Sword of Light crammed down its throat for its troubles.  The swordsman quickly flipped the dying creature forward to bowl over the others and give himself some breathing room.  He turned and flung himself against the wall next to Lina.  "Any ideas?"

Lina looked at the Sword of Light and then up into Gourry's bloodstained face.  The sword required concentration and pure thought.  Concentration she could manage but a pure thought…  After a moment of contemplation, she smiled at the swordsman affectionately in spite of their grim situation.  "I have one," she whispered.  "Gourry, let me touch the sword."

Gourry shrugged and lowered the sword into Lina's waiting hand.  "Okay, but I don't really understand.  You said that you can't use it, right?"

"Close your eyes," Lina instructed as she squeezed her own eyes shut and concentrated.  Then her hands closed over Gourry's around the hilt.  The sword seemed to dim for just a second and she wondered if she'd made a mistake.  Then, she found her thought again and concentrated on it, giving the blade what it needed to thrive.

They'd always thought that the blade had been bright before.  In that instant, they learned just how foolish that assumption had been.  Bright didn't even begin to describe what they'd just caused.  The Sword of Light seemed to erupt, the blade no longer able to hold its shape.  Instead, the light seemed to pour out of the hilt, flowing into the air like liquid heat.  Everything in the chamber turned white for what seemed like an eternity before all became dark again.

Lina and Gourry dropped to their hands and knees, exhausted by their exertion.  They released their hold on the sword and heard it fall to the floor in front of them.  The sword had fed on something within them to generate that light.  For a few moments, they did nothing but sit in the comfortable darkness gasping for air.

Gourry was the first to recover and he quickly reached out to grab the Sword of Light.  He hissed in pain and jerked his hand back when he found it.

"What's wrong?" Lina asked between pants.

"It's hot," Gourry muttered as he blew on his lightly burnt fingers to cool them off.  He reached out and tentatively patted the sword.  "Huh, it's already cool."  Igniting the sword again, he scanned the cavern grimly.  The creatures were still there, staring at him and Lina.  "So much for that idea," he growled as he stood and prepared to defend himself.

Lina held up a hand.  "Gourry, wait."  She cautiously crawled towards the creatures and, swallowing nervously, hesitantly reached out to touch the closest one.  "Something's different," she said quietly.

"Lina, what are you doing?!  Don't touch him!"  Gourry quickly leaned forward and grabbed the back of Lina's dress, bodily pulling her away from the beasts.

It was too late though.  Lina's fingertips had brushed against the face of one of the creatures setting off a chain reaction.  The beast seemed to collapse in upon itself leaving nothing but a cloud of ash to mark its passing.  That disturbance in the air set off the one next to it, and so on, and soon the rest of the creatures were gone as well.

Gourry stared at the spot where the throng stood only a moment ago and whispered, "Wow, that was pretty cool."  He looked down at the Sword of Light in wonderment.  "Hey, Lina.  How'd you make it do that?"  He glanced at his partner just in time to receive a swift punch in the face, knocking him off his feet.

Looming over her dazed protector, Lina snarled, "You jellyfish!  Don't you try to tell me what I can and can't touch!  I am the professional here, you know!  Lina Inverse, Slayer extraordinaire!  And what's the big idea of jerking me around like that?  Do you think that just because you're bigger than me you can sling me around like a sack of garbage or something?"  She pouted as she examined her mangled dress.  "You could have ruined this, you know."

Gingerly rubbing his aching jaw, Gourry said, "Sorry Lina.  I didn't want to see you get hurt, that's all."

Lina looked down at her tightly balled fist and sighed.  Unclenching her fingers she nodded and said, "I know.  Thanks for worrying, but you should trust me a little more.  I do know what I'm doing most of the time."

"Yeah, I guess so!" Gourry admitted with a laugh as he regained his feet.  "It might have taken me a while to beat all those things.  Your way was a lot quicker.  So, Miss Professional, what'd you do, anyway?"

Trying to hide the redness in her face, Lina chuckled and waved dismissively.  "Oh!  Well, it was pretty obvious once I thought about it for a minute.  The sword needs pure thoughts to function, so I just gave it one."  She put her hands behind her head and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.  "No problem, you know?"

"Oh, uh, sure," Gourry said, nodding as if that were the most reasonable explanation in the world.  "So, what were you thinking about?"

"Well, you know… just stuff," Lina said quietly.  She stole a quick glance at her protector's confused expression and her face became so hot it almost seemed to glow.  "Good stuff," she explained to clarify things for the swordsman.  "Hey, is that light over there?" she asked, pointing at a spot somewhere beyond the edge of the Sword of Light's illumination.  

A thin beam of light shone through a fissure in the ceiling illuminating a rough set of stairs hewn from the cavern wall.  What was really exciting though, was the fact that they led up.  Up was good.

Lina cheered and slapped Gourry on the back.  "Let's go, Gourry!"  She darted off towards the stairs without waiting to see if the swordsman followed.  She ran like the wind, heedless of the treacherous footing.  Almost tripping over a loose stone, she laughed cheerfully, barely saving herself from a nasty fall.  They were getting out of the cavern, out of the darkness.  That was all that mattered.

"Lina, wait up!" Gourry called without much hope as he watched the redhead put a good amount of distance between them.  "Jeez, if you weren't so bony," he panted, "maybe I'd be able to catch up."  Despite his irritated tone, he was worried.  The Sword of Light only illuminated so much and she might trip and hurt herself in the semi-gloom.

Shadows flickered at the base of the stairs, dancing as the glow of the Sword of Light drew near.  One of those shadows seemed to resist the whim of the light and refused to retreat when it approached.  An instant later, it moved into the illumination, revealing itself to be a large hooded figure.

Gourry saw it move before Lina did.  "Lina, watch out!"  His shout echoed off the walls finally drawing her attention.  The redhead turned, not understanding what he had said, but hearing the urgency in his voice.  She had maybe a second of awareness and then the shape was upon her.

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Mocking laughter rang out in the darkness, taunting Zelgadis.  First from his left, then his right, and once from high overhead, and always from just out of sight.  He ran, desperately trying to catch up with his tormentor.  Somehow, he knew that the owner of the laugh had the answers that he wanted.  Even as he ran, the voice grew fainter, easily putting distance between itself and Zelgadis.  As the voice faded, pain seemed to fill the void left behind by it's passing.  First a nagging sting between the shoulders and then a burning ache once the voice had finally been silenced.

This pain was what greeted Zelgadis when he opened his eyes.  It wasn't the stabbing agony that had vexed him for so long, but a throbbing ache centered in the area around his shoulder blades, something almost like muscle fatigue.  The first thing he saw upon regaining consciousness was a pool of blood surrounding him, making him briefly wonder if he was still dreaming.  Wincing painfully, he carefully pulled himself up to a sitting position and wiped some of the tacky fluid from his face. Not asleep then.

Zelgadis glanced around fearfully, half expecting to see Zolf's mangled body lying beside him.  Thankfully, he was alone in the dark.  Where then had the blood come from?  He glanced down at himself, noting that his once fine dress shirt was little more than a gore stained rag by this point.  It was him then.  Had he somehow injured himself as he slept?  Shakily climbing to his feet, he almost lost his balance and staggered back into the wall.  He was still woozy; from blood loss he assumed.  He reached back, expecting to brace himself against the stone but found himself grasping at thin air.

This confused Zelgadis immensely and for a moment he stood, staring off into space with a perplexed expression.  He could feel the wall against his back, but couldn't touch it?  Stealing a quick glance over his shoulder, he frowned.  He knew what he was seeing, but the rational part of his mind refused to accept it.  Grand bat like wings jutted from between his shoulders.  He shuddered as the reality of the situation hit home.  As he did so the wings trembled as well, driving home the fact that they were a part of his body.

Then Zelgadis screamed, no longer caring if Zolf or anyone else heard him.

************************************************************************

Lina yelped in surprise as she barely ducked a clumsy swing from the cloaked figure.  She heard his fist go whistling over her head.  Somehow she knew that if he'd made contact with her head, it would have been separated from her body.  As she crouched, she lashed out with her foot, striking her attacker in the knee.  Smiling grimly, she waited for him to fall to the ground clutching his maimed leg.  Luna had taught her that trick.  If your enemy couldn't walk, he couldn't fight.

Her attacker apparently hadn't received the same training as Lina.  He glanced down at his now double-jointed knee curiously and shook his leg.  There was the audible grinding of bone on bone and then he rested his weight on it again, apparently none the worse for wear.  He then turned his cold gaze back to the Slayer.

"Oh, wow.  Well, um, you were kinda… you know… supposed to fall down after that… maybe scream a little…" Lina nervously explained to the cloaked figure as she quickly scrabbled backwards to what she hoped was a safe distance.

The creature leaned forward and tried to roar in anger, but only managed a gurgling croak.  Fingers jutted from his open mouth grotesquely and for just a moment, his face was illuminated in the approaching light.

Lina's eyes widened.  "I… I've seen you before," she muttered curiously as she regained her feet.  She hadn't seen this thing before, but she had seen the man that it used to be.  Somewhere…  Before she had time to figure it out, it was upon her.  "You're quick," she admitted as she deftly avoided two more murderous swings.  Then, she lunged forward, striking him in the throat.  That was soft at least, she thought as she felt his windpipe give under her fist.

A moment later, Lina was dangling a good two feet off the ground, the front of her blouse in Vrumugun's iron grip.  "Well, I'm out of ideas," she said with a grin, as if she wasn't at all bothered by the fact that his fist was about to go soaring through her face.  Nothing she could do about it, really.

There was a meaty thwack and a flash of light as Vrumugun swung.  Lina's face suddenly disappeared in a fan of blood.  He held her there for a moment, his head cocked to the side inquisitively.  He'd swung, but there hadn't been an impact, had there?  He glanced down at his fist, or rather where his fist should have been.  Somehow, he'd lost his arm below the elbow.

Sputtering, Lina wiped Vrumugun's blood out of her eyes and groaned in disgust.  "God, that was gross, Gourry!" she complained, "Did you have to wait until the last second to do that?"

Anger replaced the confusion on Vrumugun's face and he pulled Lina forward, meaning to tear out her throat with his teeth.  Before he was able to reach her, the blade of the Sword of Light erupted from his stomach.  Growling, he swung the screaming redhead around, meaning to use her as a club against Gourry.

Gourry tried not to laugh at Lina's expression as she flew by a mere inch over his head.  He yanked the Sword of Light to the side, using Vrumugun's own momentum to nearly cut the former Slayer in half.  The instant the blade was free of his body it flew upwards to remove the hand clutching the swordsman's crimson haired charge.  He deftly caught her and lowered her to the ground before turning his attention back to Vrumugun.

The misshapen creature thrashed about on the ground squealing in anger.  Pain and death seemed to be alien concepts to the beast as he continued to try to drag himself towards Lina despite his grievous wounds.

Lina yelped in surprise as Vrumugun flopped towards her and quickly hid behind Gourry.  "Kill it, kill it, kill it!" she ordered.

Gourry planted a foot on Vrumugun's chest to hold him still.  A look of pity upon his face, he twirled the Sword of Light once before driving it down into the beast's heart.  After waiting a moment to make sure that it was truly dead, he withdrew the sword and stepped away from the corpse.  "God, Lina," he muttered with a roll of his eyes.  "What'd you do to that guy?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Lina demanded as she fell into step beside her protector.

"Jeez, don't get mad.  I'm just saying that everyone we run into wants to kill you for some reason."  Gourry shrugged and said, "I was just kinda wondering what you did to him."

"For your information, bait for brains, I didn't do anything to him.  It's just a part of the job.  The forces of darkness are always trying to get the hero."  Lina smiled cutely and asked, "And I can't help it that I'm the brave and talented heroine, can I?"

"Brave and talented heroine?" Gourry said with a smug grin.  "This coming from the girl that was just hiding behind me yelling, 'Kill it'?  What's so brave about that?"

"Well," Lina said through clenched teeth, "that was the talented part.  I was displaying my remarkable leadership capabilities by doling out brilliant tactical commands to my loyal and decidedly clueless lackey."  Noting Gourry's confused expression, she nodded happily.  "Exactly."

Gourry stared at Lina thoughtfully.  "I don't know what you just said," he admitted after a moment, "but I'm willing to bet there was an insult in there somewhere."

Lina just shrugged noncommittally and asked in a tone of mock hurt, "Would I do something like that?"

As the bickering pair made their way to the stairs, the light shining on Vrumugun dimmed.  Just before the darkness claimed him, he seemed to twitch, just once.

************************************************************************

Zelgadis staggered into the comforting familiarity of his private chambers.  Or rather, it would have been comfortable had the damned things on his back not followed him in.  He glanced over his shoulder again and grimaced in revulsion at the leathery monstrosities.  There was no way he could pass for a normal person now.  Unless…

Trying to manipulate the wings was akin to having to learn to walk again.  One didn't just maneuver new appendages with the same dexterity as the old.  "No, no, no!  Don't do that!" Zelgadis pleaded, as his left wing seemed to move with a mind of its own to sweep several bottles off a nearby table.  He winced as they shattered on the floor and his right wing apparently took that as a sign that it was supposed to knock a lantern from a hook on the wall.  "Son of a…"  Growling angrily, he quickly stomped out the flames before they could spread to anything important.  He sighed irritably as he reached out to grab one of the wings.  "Listen, I don't know where you came from, but you're riding on my back now!  And so help me, if you two don't behave yourselves, I'll pluck you both just like that!" he snarled, snapping his fingers for emphasis.  A moment later, the incredulity of what he was doing hit him and he smacked his forehead in frustration.  Taking a few deep breaths, he forced himself to calm down.  This seemed to have a soothing effect on the wings as well.

Holding his breath, Zelgadis carefully willed the wings downwards, trying to learn the ins and outs of a whole new set of muscles.  After a few minutes of work, they were comfortably draped about him, appearing like nothing so much as a living cape.  He admired himself briefly before nodding in satisfaction.  This would do.  He could conceal them beneath a cloak easily enough.

Then it hit him.  Despite all the noise that Zelgadis had been making over the last few minutes, Zolf hadn't come to investigate.  "Zolf?" he called out without much hope.  As he feared, he received no answer.  Sensing his nervousness, his wings began to skittishly flutter about him.  He unconsciously willed them down as he quickly made his way to Zolf's quarters.  "Zolf?!" he yelled, barging into his servant's modest room.

Zolf sat at his desk, his head cocked to the side as if he were staring at Zelgadis inquisitively.  His features were ghostly white and his face was a mask of terror.  Twin puncture wounds marred his neck, the telltale mark of a vampire's kiss.  One of his arms had been draped across the table and a card had been set in his hand as if he were offering it to Zelgadis.

Frowning, Zelgadis stepped forward and plucked the card from Zolf's cold fingers.  "Sorry, Zolf," he muttered quietly as he began to read.

_I deeply regret the fact that I missed seeing you.  I expect that it would have been an interesting encounter.  Your servant was quite lacking in manners and I chastised him accordingly.  I've found that he serves his purpose just as well as before, however.  You'll find that he's holding a parcel for you.  I'm confident that you'll know what to do with it._

Zelgadis eyed the gently flowing script angrily.  It looked vaguely similar to his father's but some of the flourishes were different.  A scholar perhaps?  Certainly not a surgeon.  They had the most atrocious handwriting.  Maybe a woman?  Scowling, he balled up the card and cast it aside.  There were no secrets there.  Curiously, he approached Zolf and saw that the author of the note had been telling the truth.  Sitting in his lap was a plainly wrapped package, bound with a length of string.

Cautiously cutting the string, Zelgadis opened the package and frowned in puzzlement at its contents.  "What the hell?" he muttered quietly, before wrapping it back up.  He nodded at Zolf as if saying goodbye and then quickly turned to leave.  Had he taken the time to look, he would have found that his servant clutched something in the hand that wasn't on the table, something that would have done more to reveal the identity of the attacker; three long strands of hair, barely visible in the lamplight.

************************************************************************

"Do you think he got caught?" Amelia asked nervously, as she watched the blood red sun set over Sairaag.  It'd been hours since she and Jillas had hidden in the alley.  Zelgadis should have been there by now.  He said that there were only a few things that he had to take care of and then…

"Ready to go?" Zelgadis asked quietly, emerging from the shadows a mere two feet from Amelia.  "Sorry," he said with a shrug when the acrobat almost jumped out of her skin.

After regaining her wits, Amelia hugged Zelgadis tightly.  "Mister Zelgadis!  I thought that you had-oh?"  When she grabbed him she felt something give beneath his cloak.  Somehow it felt like grabbing a folded umbrella.  She glanced at him inquisitively as he pulled away from her.  Had he really been that bulky before?  "Have you put on weight?" she asked curiously.

Zelgadis frowned and stepped back into the shadows.  "Amelia, I just saw you this morning!  No, I haven't put on weight."  He sighed and shook his head in annoyance.  "Are you ready to go or not?"

Amelia nodded and gasped in surprise when Zelgadis swept past her into the street.  "Mister Zelgadis!" she stage whispered.  "What are you doing?!"

As expected, guards immediately surrounded Zelgadis as soon as he stepped out into the open.  When Jillas growled and reached for his pistol, the former minister held up a hand to stop him.  "There's no need for that."  He cordially smiled at the sergeant and said, "You're barring my path.  Do you know who I am?"

The sergeant's gaze never faltered as he said, "Former Chief Minister of Sairaag, Zelgadis Greywords, you have been branded a traitor to the church.  The sentence for your crimes is death."

Zelgadis smirked and crossed his arms.  "Death?"  His mocking laughter echoed through the street.  "That's quite amusing sergeant," he said with a cruel grin.  He glared at the man for a moment before snorting dismissively and muttering, "Cut your throat, please."  He reached out to mentally compel the guard to do so, even as he verbally commanded him.

"Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia gasped.  She watched in horror as the guard's hand flew to his belt where his dagger was sheathed.  Without thinking, she tackled him before he could carry out Zelgadis's command.  As she wrestled with him for his dagger, she looked into his eyes, seeing terror there.  He didn't want to do this.  "Stop this!" she called out to Zelgadis.

The other guards just stood, too stunned to act.  Nothing in the manual covered having your commanding officer spontaneously try to commit suicide while trying to make an arrest.  The manual, it seemed, could use a little bit of reworking.

The cruel grin still upon his face, Zelgadis watched as Amelia fought with the guard.  A sudden tug on his sleeve drew his attention and he glanced down at Jillas, looking as if he'd just woken from a dream.  "What are you doing here?" he asked, talking more to himself than the fox man.

"Ye 'ave t' stop 'em, boss!" Jillas said, pointing at Amelia and the sergeant frantically.

Zelgadis turned and gasped in surprise.  "What did I do?" he asked before glancing around at the surrounding soldiers.  "Sleep," he commanded, and in an instant, a dozen men dropped to the street, deep in slumber.

Amelia sighed in relief as the sergeant followed suit and released his hold on the dagger.  Not quite trusting him to keep it himself, she tucked it into her belt and turned to look at Zelgadis.  "Why'd you do that?" she asked in a wounded tone, almost as if he'd tried to hurt her instead of that poor man.  She'd accepted that he could do it; after all, he had told her that he was different, but why had he done it?  That wasn't the Zelgadis that she knew.  Truth be told, he'd frightened her a few moments ago.

Unable to bring himself to look into Amelia's eyes, Zelgadis mumbled what might have been an apology before nodding at the gate.  "Let's go.  I expect there'll be more coming soon enough."

************************************************************************

The fugitives sprinted into the forest that lay just outside the city gates.  As they watched the walls disappear behind the trees, they each felt a strange sense of loss.  

Zelgadis because the city was all he'd ever known.  In a way, it'd been a prison, but he'd made it his prison.  His station, Zolf, his very life lay behind those walls, and it'd been snatched away by cruel chance.

Amelia frowned because her family still stayed behind those walls.  They had no idea of what she'd gotten into and it was for the best, she told herself.  After all, what they didn't know couldn't hurt them, right?  Or at least, that's what she hoped.

Jillas just really regretted that he'd left Amelia's bags behind in the alley.  In all the excitement, he'd just forgotten to grab them again.  What was she going to wear on the trip?

Zelgadis suddenly held up a hand, signaling that the others should stop.  "Wait a moment," he whispered.  Laughter.  There'd been laughter and conversation on the breeze.  "We're not alone," he explained to his companions.  

Just then, a nearby bush began to rustle, setting all three companions on edge.  Amelia hesitantly drew her dagger, Zelgadis his sword, and Jillas his pistol.  They all waited with baited breath to see what would emerge from the woods.

The first figure emerged from the bush saying, "Look, all I'm saying is that I'm the heroine!  You're like the loyal sidekick or something, you know?"

Her companion protested, "But I do all the fighting!  It's not very heroic when I do all the fighting and you hide behind me!"

"That's because you're the sidekick," Lina patiently explained.  "You're supposed to take the lumps for the hero.  And I don't hide!  I strategize and-oh?"  She glanced up to see her companions standing with weapons held at the ready.  "Uh, is something wrong, guys?" she said, holding up her hands to show that she was unarmed.

A few moments later, Lina was rummaging through the package that Zelgadis had taken from Zolf.  "A silver dagger, stakes, my clothes…  No sword though.  Where'd you say you got this again?" she asked, glancing up at Zelgadis inquisitively.

"It was at my home," Zelgadis said with a scowl.  "Someone knew that I'd see you again."  He shook his head and muttered, "Lina, I think someone's following you."

The others quickly glanced around at their surroundings feeling a bit more on edge.  Had the forest been that menacing before?  The afternoon light seemed to make the shadows grow.  Anything could be hiding within them, waiting to pounce…

Lina laughed happily, dispelling the sense of disquiet the others were feeling.  "Yeah?  Well, let them follow me if they want!  I don't care anymore."  She gathered up her things and slipped behind a rather large tree for some privacy.  There was the sound of ripping cloth and a moment later, the tattered dress she'd worn for the last twenty-four hours came fluttering out from behind it.

Zelgadis's shook his head in disbelief.  "Lina, did I just hear you right?  I did just tell you that someone's following you.  Someone that may want to see you dead.  Doesn't that bother you?"

Stepping out from behind the tree, Lina grinned and gave herself a quick examination.  It felt good to be herself again, to have her weapons and to be back on the road.  Free.  She laughed again, forgetting for the moment that she'd lost Xellos, Luna, and her faith in Rezo.  Later there would be time to think on it, but none of that mattered right now.  Noting that Zelgadis was still scowling, she said, "Hey, we'll deal with that if it comes up, Zel.  It doesn't help to be gloomy all the time, you know.  You've got to stop worrying and just live once in a while."  

"You're just going to walk away from all the questions?" Zelgadis asked in disbelief as he pointed back in the direction of the city.  "What about Rezo?"

"What about him?" Lina asked, pretending to stifle a yawn.  "He wants us dead.  The smart thing to do is stay as far away from him as possible, right?"  She glanced up at her blond haired companion and nodded.  "What do you think, Gourry?"

"Sounds good to me," Gourry replied with a nervous grin.  "Better to run than be executed, right?"

"What about your sister?" Zelgadis asked, hoping that would drive some sense into her.  He didn't want to stay in Sairaag, but just running off like nothing was wrong was even worse.  They had to figure out what to do.

Lina's grin didn't fade, but it did look a little less genuine for a moment.  "Sis, told me to run a long time ago.  It was the right thing to do then, and it is now."  She turned her back on Zelgadis and began to walk, Gourry by her side.  She'd never told Zel about what happened to Luna, she thought angrily.  Had he been the one to take her?   She'd have to think about that one for a while.  Zel had never played straight with her.

Sensing that Lina wasn't quite as happy as she'd been a moment ago, Gourry put an arm around her and pulled her close as they walked.  That seemed to work.  She didn't look ecstatic, but she wasn't fuming either.  That was a start.

Shaking her head thoughtfully, Lina allowed herself to enjoy Gourry's embrace.  Zelgadis was another of those things that could be figured out later.

Amelia watched Lina and Gourry go with a nervous look on her face.  She bit her lip contemplatively before calling out, "Miss Lina!  Do you know where you're going?"

"Yep!" came the redhead's reply.  "I'm going wherever the road takes me."

That was good enough for Amelia.  She favored Zelgadis with a smile before running off to try to catch up.  "Miss Lina!  Wait for me!"  Close behind her was Jillas.

Zelgadis stared after the group in disbelief.  This was madness and it wasn't going to solve anything.  However, having nothing else to do and not wanting to face the world alone, he found himself following them soon after.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Friendly people, an inviting atmosphere, and on top of that, it's home for one of Lina's companions.  Perfect for our heroes to take a moment to breathe and sort out their feelings.  But even the most idyllic locale has its dark secrets…

Notes:  Whew, it was incredibly liberating to get the cast away from Sairaag for a bit.  The change of locales was incredibly invigorating and marks the beginning of a series of stories that deal more with the characters themselves than the big villains (not that I'm suggesting that Rezo's a villain mind you).

Reviewer Response:

Sami, thanks for finally reviewing!  I know I said it before in my e-mail to you, but I really appreciate your kind words.  I really don't deserve them.  How's the artwork coming?  I'd love to see it.

Otaku girl, glad you liked Xellos's secret.  Did you ever post your story?

Miss Gabriev, Reika is from TRY.  One of the Peacemen, remember?  I have no plans to include Filia at the moment, but I THINK (think, mind you) that she and Val will have big parts in ET2.

Hey, I'm a big Jillas fan, Dragonet.  I know he's a little goofy now, but he's basically playing comic relief.  I do like his loyal nature though and will be playing that up in the next few chapters.

Well Colin, Lina didn't seem to be too happy with Vrumugun, did she?  Good thing he's dead now, right?  As for L/G, wait for the next chapter.  That's all I'll say.

Pogo, are you suggesting that you want MORE chocolate covered cherries?!  Hazard pay… bah!  I'll bet anyone here would love to get to read 2-3 chapters ahead.  As for Xellos, I don't think you'll be hearing, "That is a secret," anytime soon, but his actions are still going to influence the story in a huge way.  Thanks again for betaing.  A lovely job as always.

Until next time!  
  



	30. Healing the scars

The group had been traveling for days on end, the forests eventually bleeding into the hills and back to woodlands again.  It had been quite lovely at first; even Zelgadis seemed a little less surly than usual at the change in scenery, but seeing no sign of people for so long had taken its toll on everyone's spirits.  Well, everyone except for Jillas and Amelia.  

Jillas seemed incredibly pleased to be back in the wild and would disappear for hours on end.  Always, he returned just when his companions were beginning to wonder (and sometimes hope) that he was gone for good.  Thankfully, at the moment, he was on one of his excursions.  

Amelia on the other hand, stayed with the group the entire time.  Right with them.  Infuriatingly close to them.  Since she was usually cooped up in a wagon when she the circus had traveled from city to city, the glory of nature had been a pleasant surprise to her.  And she took every opportunity to share that wonderment with the group.  Such a zest for life and its miracles was quite endearing at first, but after a week and a half… well goddamn it, it was annoying!

"Miss Lina!" Amelia excitedly called from her perch in a tree atop the next hill.  "Miss Lina, come look!  Hurry!"  She was eagerly pointing at something on the far side of the hill wobbling precariously on her branch.

Lina's shoulders slumped and she walked even slower than she had been before.  "Coming Amelia," she halfheartedly called.  "I swear, if it's another bird's nest or something like that, I'm going to crush her skull with a rock," she muttered to Gourry.

"Lina, that's kind of harsh, isn't it?" Gourry whispered.  He briefly wondered if Lina had it in her to do something like that to poor Amelia.  Taking a quick glance at her expression, he decided the answer was a resounding "yes".  He hesitantly patted her on the shoulder and said, "Come on, it's not that bad…"

Amelia's voice drifted back to them again.  "Mister Gourry!  Come on!  You have to see this too!"

"Not so bad', is it?" Lina muttered darkly.

Gourry scooped a fist-sized stone off the ground as they walked.  "This one looks good.  Do you want me to hold her down?  Because she's kind of quick, you know?"

"Gourry," Lina said in a tone of mock sweetness, "that wouldn't be very sporting, would it?  It's only fair to give her a running start."

Zelgadis just quietly snorted in amusement at their playful bantering.  It had been the only sound to issue from beneath the hood besides snappish answers over the last few days.  Glancing up at the hated sun high overhead, he scowled and pulled his hood farther down across his face.  The cloak concealed the vast majority of his flesh, but he still fidgeted beneath it as if he were quite uncomfortable.

When Amelia called out again, Lina rolled her eyes and bellowed, "All right, damn it!  We'll be there in a second!" as she broke into a jog.  The faster she got up there, the quicker she could get this over with.  "Okay," she growled as she crested the hill, "what's so important that… Ooh!"  She clasped her hands together excitedly as she gazed down into the vale.

Sensing that Amelia may have actually found something noteworthy this time, Gourry and Zelgadis exchanged hopeful glances and hastened their pace until they were standing atop the hill beside the others.

Nestled in the middle of the tree-covered valley was an inviting looking village.  Small, rustic, and best of all, it looked as if it were pretty isolated.  Word of their crimes might not have reached this place and they could probably get some rest and a real bed for a change.

"Food," Amelia said eagerly.  "I'll bet they have food."  Visions of feasting on turkey or roast chicken sprang to mind.  Anything would be better than the nuts and berries they'd been subsisting on for the last few days.  

"I'd be willing to bet fifty gold pieces that they string us up as soon as they find out who we are," Zelgadis grumbled.

Lina sighed in exasperation and sarcastically muttered, "Well thank you, Captain Enthusiasm!"  She roughly elbowed Zelgadis in the ribs, which did little to help his mood, but it made her feel better at least.  "You're such a killjoy, you know that?  Honestly, do you think anyone bothered to tell these people that there's a couple of fugitives around?  It's in the middle of nowhere."  Turning her attention back to the village, she scratched her head and said, "Speaking of that, where are the roads, anyway?"  The woods seemed to stretch on forever in every direction with no other signs of civilization to be seen.

Gourry laughed and said, "Yeah, there weren't too many outsiders that I saw.  The people around here pretty much keep to themselves."

"Thank you for that incredible insight into the lives of the locals, Gourry," Lina said with a confused nod.  "And just how do you know that anyway?"

Grinning playfully, Gourry rapped Lina on the forehead with his knuckles.  "Well, it only makes sense that I'd know that, Lina.  I did grow up here, after all."  His face lit up and he darted down the hill.  "Maybe my parents still live here!"

Biting her lower lip thoughtfully, Lina struggled to imagine what sort of parents could have raised Gourry.  After a moment of consideration, she concluded that one of them had to be an animal.  How else did one explain Gourry's basic stupidity and keen instincts?  "His dad's probably a jellyfish," she said with a nod before running down the hill after her protector.

************************************************************************

Thankfully, Lina had been right about the village.  Not a single person had even heard of them, with the exception of Gourry of course.  There'd been much ado about his return after such a long absence and an impromptu party was quickly arranged.

Gourry sat at the head of a long table in the village square, a sheepish grin plastered on his face.  It'd been stuck there since they first arrived.  He wasn't used to being the center of attention and truth be told, it was a little embarrassing.  He just wanted to relax and visit with his family for a bit.

"What have you been doing for the last five years?" someone asked.

"Well, I traveled around a lot and then I went to Sairaag to be a guard.  And then I-"

"Gourry, did you really make it into the Sairaag City Guard?" another man yelled.

"Yeah, I did, but-"  Before Gourry could finish, he was cut off by another question.  He laughed nervously and wondered why they didn't give him a chance to answer.  They'd probably have a lot less questions if they did that.

"How was the big city, Gourry?" an elderly woman asked.

After a moment of thought, Gourry nodded and said, "It was pretty big."  A chorus of oohs and ahs swept through the assembly at this bit of information.

Sitting under a tree a few feet away, Lina clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles.  These were Gourry's people all right.  She watched him uncomfortably stumble over answers to the villagers' questions with a content smile upon her face.  This was a nice place, full of good-hearted people.  It was the antithesis of Sairaag.  And they had good ale too, she thought as she refilled her stein from a nearby keg.  A little dry but…

"Gourry, did you meet any nice girls while you were away?" a pretty young redhead shyly asked.

Lina glared at the girl over the edge of her mug, feeling a sense of intense jealousy.  She was taller than Lina, bustier, and prettier too.  Her eyes slid from the girl to Gourry and she unconsciously held her breath as she awaited his answer.

"Oh, sure I did!  There was Sylphiel.  She was pretty nice.  And then there was that blonde… oh, and I can't forget the pair of brunettes can I?  The twins and um… oh, and I met Lina too!  She's right over…"  Gourry started to point in Lina's direction and hesitated when he saw her glaring daggers at him.

"The twins?" Lina mouthed silently as she balled up her fist angrily.

Thinking better of his decision to point out Lina at the moment, Gourry quickly glanced around before saying, "Yeah, Lina.  Right over there!  Say hi, Lina!"  He waved at Amelia, silently pleading with her to wave back.

Amelia glanced up from the opposite end of the table where she was polishing off her eighth turkey leg.  Was Gourry talking to her?  "Um, hi…" she said while tentatively waving to the swordsman.  Before she knew what was going on, the villagers had swamped her throwing questions at her from all sides.  "Oh dear…  Yes, Gourry's very nice.  No, I'm not his girlf-  No!!  We haven't done that!"

Gourry nodded at Amelia gratefully as he took the opportunity to slip away from the table, taking two glasses of ale as he did so.  "Sorry about that," he said as he took a seat in the shade next to Lina.  He offered her both glasses with a grimace.

"Two?" Lina asked coolly.

"Yeah, I saw the way you looked at me so I kinda figured that you'd probably want to throw one of them in my face," Gourry said with a shrug of resignation.

"You're a smart guy," Lina admitted as she took the glasses and as he'd suggested, dumped the contents of one of them over her protector's head.  Try as she might, she was unable to maintain her stern expression at the sight of an alcohol soaked and honestly contrite looking Gourry.  "You jellyfish," she said as a warm smile crept over her face.

Gourry took that as a sign that Lina wasn't going to hit him and grinned.  "Feel better now?"  When she nodded, he sighed in relief and leaned back against the tree.  "Honestly, I don't understand what the deal is with women.  Sylphiel wouldn't talk to me for a week after I told her about the twins."

"You're lucky she talked to you at all," Lina said with a sigh.  "What's your problem, anyway?  Do you think you're some kind of Casanova or something?"

"Lina, I don't even know what that word means," Gourry explained.  "I got lost on my patrol route one day and the twins gave me directions.  I don't know what the big deal is."

Lina chuckled and asked, "Is that what happened?  Why'd you even mention them, then?"

Gourry nodded at the villagers and said, "They asked if I'd met any nice girls.  The twins were nice girls.  Do you know how long I'd been wandering around before I met them?"

"Oh, that makes sense," Lina said with a roll of her eyes.  Sipping her ale, she glanced around and nodded in satisfaction.  "This really is a nice place, Gourry.  Why'd you ever leave?"

"My grandson wanted to see the world, didn't you Gourry?"  A short elderly woman stepped out from behind the tree and smiled at Gourry.  "And you can't see much of it living in the middle of a forest, can you?"

Lina shook her head and smiled.  "No, I guess not, Missus Gabriev."

"Missus Gabriev," the old woman repeated with a warm smile.  "My, my.  Aren't you a polite young lady?"  She put a hand on Lina's shoulder to support herself as she carefully lowered herself to the ground beside them.  There was an audible pop as something in her back gave way and she fell the last few inches.  Noting Lina and Gourry's concerned looks, she quickly shook her head and waved them off.  "I'm fine, dears.  Goodness, it's been a while since I've sat under a tree!  Bad back, you know.  I sometimes worry that if I sit down I may not be able to make it back up again."

"Did my parents get back yet?" Gourry asked with an eager smile on his face.

Gourry's grandmother shook her head.  "Oh, not yet dear, but I expect that they'll be back by tomorrow.  You know how much they love to travel."  She turned to Lina and explained, "They run the local store and travel around a lot to pick up their stock.  Nobody really delivers out here."  She smiled at Gourry and said, "That's where Gourry picked up his desire to see the world and when that wandering swordsman came through five years ago, he was gone just like that.  Oh, they'll be so excited to see you, dear!  I swear you've sprung up like a weed.  Only seventeen and already so tall."

Lina raised a questioning eyebrow at that last bit.  Gourry was only seventeen?  That'd make him younger than her.  And here she'd thought he was at least twenty.  How strange…

The old woman nodded at a group of girls that were pointing at Gourry and giggling and said, "Why don't you go talk to them?  This party's all for you and here you are hiding from your friends."

"Well, it's not quite like that…" Gourry said with a pained expression on his face.  He didn't want to be fawned over by a bunch of women that he didn't even remember.  He wanted to talk to Lina.  They rarely got to do so without being interrupted by some demon popping out of the wall or something else equally ridiculous and annoying.

"Well, if that's not how it is, then run along and be sociable."  A pleasant, but stern look from the woman convinced Gourry that there was no winning the argument and, sparing Lina an apologetic glance, he reluctantly got up and made his way over to the ladies.

"He's… popular, isn't he, ma'am?" Lina quietly asked, pointedly looking away from Gourry as the girls practically drooled over him.  He hadn't wanted to go.  She'd seen that in his expression, but she still thought that he was better off than she was.  For some inexplicable reason, she felt like she was putting on a performance for the benefit of the woman beside her.  She found herself desperately wanting to be liked and sat up a little straighter and put on a painfully large smile.

As if reading Lina's mind, the elderly woman smiled and said, "I promise that I don't bite, dear."  She reached out and patted Lina's knee in a friendly matter.  "We don't really worry about formalities out here, so you don't have to be so polite.  Just call me Aquamine.  Or just Auntie Aqua.  All the youngsters do."

Lina's smile became more genuine and she said, "Okay, Auntie."  She found herself liking the old woman.  Maybe this wouldn't be so bad…

"See now isn't that better?  No foolish fumbling about for the right words."  Aqua examined Lina's torn and patched outfit with the practiced eye of one who had mended clothes for a lifetime.  Some of those tears were a little large to have resulted from normal wear.  "That's an interesting outfit, dear.  Do you mind if I ask what you do for a living?"

Oh.  Well, this could be awkward.  Lina tried to think of a way to describe what she did without sounding like a total nut.  A terrified expression crept over her face and she said, "I kill people."  What had she just said?  She knew that she wasn't stupid enough to tell Gourry's grandmother that she killed people for a living… was she?

"Oh… well, that's interesting," Aqua said with a hesitant nod.  Her expression explained to Lina that, yes, she had just claimed to kill people.  Thankfully, the old woman didn't immediately start screaming for help.

Lina smacked her forehead in frustration and moaned, "I am that stupid!"

************************************************************************

"Boss?  Boss?  Where are ye, boss?"  Jillas had been wandering through the woods for hours searching for Zelgadis and the others.  "A fox los' in th' woods?  Jillas, yer mum'd call ye a bloody fool if she could see ye now," he growled to himself.  It wasn't really his fault though.  He'd been wandering, yes, getting in touch with nature again, but he'd never been that far away from the group and even when he did, he invariably found them again by smell.  He couldn't do it now though.

Sniffing the air for the hundredth time in the last hour, Jillas grimaced and muttered, "Bad air."  There were many scents on the breeze, but none of them were those of his adopted masters.  The smells that he did detect could hardly be considered pleasant either.  The rank stench of decay was the most overpowering of them, but try as he might; he'd been unable to find a trace of blood or a carcass.  It was impossible when death permeated every breath of air, seeming to have no beginning or end.  

As disgusting as the smell was, it wasn't the worst thing in the area.  There was something masked beneath the decay, something that made Jillas's incredibly uncomfortable.  He got the sense that if malice had an odor, this would be it.  "Bad things are comin'," he whispered.  "Wicked things."  He quickened his pace, meaning to find his master.  He didn't have any idea of where he was going, he realized, but at least he would get there more quickly.  Before things got too bad.

************************************************************************

Amelia glanced around the table looking for more food.  Two whole turkeys and she was still incredibly hungry.  Eyeing a pot of stew, she briefly wondered if eating that as well would make her look like a glutton.  Almost certainly, she decided as she lunged across the table to grab the pot.  A child's laughter diverted her from her meal.

"Wow, you're hungry, huh?" said a cheerful looking boy of twelve.  He sat in the chair next to Amelia, his elbows on the table and his chin cupped in his hands.  "What's your name, Miss?"

"Amelia," the acrobat replied, reluctantly sitting down without any food.  A puzzled smile on her face, she looked the boy over.  She hadn't seen him sit down.  Was she really pigging out that much?  "I didn't see you there.  Did you want something to eat?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry.  I was just passing by and I saw someone new, so I wanted to say hello.  We don't get many strangers around here."  Noting that Amelia was still giving him a questioning look, he grinned stupidly and said, "Sorry.  I forgot to introduce myself.  I'm Marco."  A concerned look quickly replaced the smile and he asked, "You haven't seen Sarah around have you?"

"Sarah?  I don't know…  What does she look like?"

Marco scratched his head thoughtfully.  "Um, she's taller than me, but only by one stupid inch."  He admitted this begrudgingly as if it had been a bone of contention between them.  "Oh, and she's got blond hair.  I think that's about it.  She lives in the next village and she was supposed to be here a little after noon.  We were going to pick berries in the forest."

Amelia glanced up at the setting sun and frowned.  "Oh my.  She's really late then, isn't she?"  When she didn't receive an answer she glanced back down at where Marco had been sitting.  The seat was vacant and was pushed under the table as if there hadn't been anyone there to begin with.  "Marco?" she called out curiously, looking around the village square.  The boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure that your scarf collection is nice.  I'm just kinda hungry now, but I'll be glad to look at them after I eat."

"He wouldn't…" Amelia muttered as she turned to see Gourry trying to spoon her stew into a bowl while trying to listen to several women talk at once.  "Unhand my food, Gourry!" she shouted, leaping up on the table and pointing down at him accusingly.

"Aw, come on, Amelia!  Haven't you had enough?" Gourry complained as he continued to claim the acrobat's food.  "I'm hungry too, you know."  Seeing that she wasn't feeling terribly sympathetic at the moment, he sighed sadly and said, "Okay, I guess you can-hey, isn't Zel calling you?" nodding at a point over her right shoulder.

Amelia glanced over her shoulder hopefully.  Mister Zelgadis had been so aloof lately, spending long periods of time alone.  She sometimes thought that he was intentionally avoiding her and when Gourry suggested that he was actually calling her, she was excited.  So, it was especially disappointing to see that there was nobody behind her.  "What are you talking about Mister Gourry?  He's not-"  She turned to see the swordsman beating a hasty retreat with her dinner in tow.  Without thinking, she lunged forward, running along the table for a moment before launching herself onto his back.  "Give it back!" she demanded.  Of all the dirty tricks for him to play, she thought.

Apparently, Gourry's company misconstrued Amelia's actions as a sign of affection, and in an instant, half a dozen women were latched onto his arms and torso.  Despite this fact, the swordsman never lost his composure.  He'd been in worse situations than this.  Not many, but he had seen them.  His warrior's instincts told him to duck and he obeyed, dropping into the tangle of grasping hands.  He felt Amelia's hands slip from around his neck as she was removed by the other women and grinned.  "Sorry Amelia!" he called.  "All's fair when it comes to food!"  He then began to slurp the spoils of war straight from the pot.

************************************************************************

Zelgadis had slipped away as soon as the festivities started.  He hadn't belonged there.  He'd known that as soon as the feasting and drinking had begun.  For some reason, he'd found the smiles and laughter to be quite unsettling, almost sickening, really.  That combined with the afternoon sun had driven him from the village into solitude.

Coming upon a small stream, Zelgadis sighed and sat on the bank.  Glancing around almost guiltily, he unfastened his cloak and let it drop to the ground.  He groaned happily as he stretched his wings, savoring the popping noises as he worked the kinks out of them.  Twelve hours a day was too long to keep them folded up like that.  It was like trying to constantly flex a muscle.

Spreading the leathery monstrosities to their full span, almost ten feet, Zelgadis looked at his reflection in the water.  He wanted to feel disgust at the sight of the things, but instead found himself unable to suppress a feeling of pride.  He didn't know where they'd come from, but they were a part of him.

Jillas stood in the nearby shadows, trying to come to grips with what he'd just seen.  Okay, the boss had wings.  It was no big deal.  He grew fur and ran around the forest like an animal.  Same difference, right?  But still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something dreadfully wrong about this.  He whispered, "Boss?" not so much to alert Zelgadis to his presence, but more to reaffirm for himself that it was indeed Zelgadis who was standing before him.

The leaves had begun to fall from the trees, as it was early autumn.  This combined with the breeze and the chirping of the birds created a cacophony of noise in the forest.  Somehow, out of all those sounds Zelgadis's sensitive ears had managed to pick out Jillas's voice.  "Who's there?!" he demanded, whirling to face the fox man.

"Eaven 'elp me..." Jillas whispered in fright.  It was all he could do to resist bolting into the forest.  Somehow, he knew if he did so, Zelgadis would be on him in an instant.  The man who stood before him looked almost bestial, his eyes bloodshot with fangs and claws bared.  As he turned, he'd instinctively spread his wings wide in an attempt to make himself look more imposing.  It worked.

"You?" Zelgadis curiously whispered as he recognized the intruder.  He sighed tiredly and turned back to sit by the stream.  "What do you want, Jillas?"  His wings drooped, almost as if they were disappointed by the fact that violence had been averted.

Creeping forward ever so carefully, Jillas watched for any sign of the thing that he'd seen in Zelgadis's eyes a moment before.  Deciding that there was no danger for the moment, he sat down on the bank, making sure to stay well out of reach of his master.  He cleared his throat and said, "I was lookin' f' ye, boss.  Saw ye leave th' village, I did."

"Spying on me were you?" Zelgadis asked with a sigh.  "I don't really blame you.  I don't even trust myself anymore."  

Jillas hesitantly smiled, not really knowing how to react to Zelgadis's statement.

"I came out here for the peace and quiet.  I needed time to think and I couldn't do it around a bunch of singing and dancing idiots."  Zelgadis turned to face his servant causing Jillas to jump nervously.  "What about you?  Why aren't you back with the others?  For that matter, where have you been for the last couple hours?"

Jillas shuddered briefly and nervously glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the village.  "I been snoopin'."

"Snooping?" Zelgadis muttered.  "Why?"

"I don' like this place, boss.  No' te' bit."  The wind picked up briefly and swirled the dead leaves about, causing Jillas to look around anxiously.  "Somethin's a littl'… off.  Can't ye feel it?"  Seeing that Zelgadis wasn't getting it, he shook his head impatiently and explained, "It's somethin' in th' air.  Some strange smell on th' breeze."  He looked down at the stream distrustfully and scooted back from it a bit.  "An' in the wata'.  Th' wata's bad.  No' fit f' drinkin'."

Zelgadis watched Jillas spook himself with an annoyed expression on his face.  "You know that you're making even less sense than usual, right?"  He shook his head dismissively and resumed his brooding.

"Boss, we need t' leave.  Somethin' terrible's about t' 'appen."

At that very moment, the breeze momentarily became a gale and mournfully howled through the trees.  The branches creaked menacingly and almost seemed to reach out in an attempt to grab Jillas.  A whirlwind of leaves swept out of the dark forest towards the pair sitting on the stream bank.  Then it was over.

"Well, that was strange wasn't it?" Zelgadis muttered.  He glanced around the clearing, noticing that Jillas was gone.  "Jillas?" he called.  He hadn't taken the fox seriously, but maybe there was something to his concerns…

"Right 'ere, boss," Zelgadis's left wing seemed to say.  It shook like a leaf and for some inexplicable reason, it'd apparently grown a bushy orange tail.

Zelgadis rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, for the love of… get out of there!"  He swatted Jillas on the back of the head causing the fox to scamper a few feet out of reach.  "It's nonsense, Jillas!" he growled.  "I'm not leaving until Amelia and the others are ready.  If you want to go, that's fine.  I won't try to stop you."  Silently he pleaded with the fox to go.  It'd be one less thing he had to worry about.

"I-I won' leave ye an' Miss Amelia," Jillas said in a shaky voice.

Muttering curses under his breath, Zelgadis shook his head.  He'd been so close to freedom.  "That's fine then.  If you're going to stay, I don't want to hear any more of this foolishness.  There's nothing wrong with this place.  You're probably just tired from traveling, that's all."  He waved Jillas away before the fox could protest.  "Go bug Amelia or something.  I've got some things to sort out."

************************************************************************

 "But, you know what the worst part is?" Lina asked, her features scrunched up in an expression of disgust.  "After you stake them, you still have to cut the head off.  It's not that big a deal for Gourry.  He makes it look easy.  Just a quick tap with a sword and the head goes flying."  She pointed to her decidedly puny bicep and said, "I don't really have the strength to do that, so I usually try to use a sawing motion."  She demonstrated the proper sawing technique with her hand and added, "but sometimes the spine is a real pain to get through.  And it always gets messy."

"Oh my, that does sound dreadful," Aqua said with a shake of her head.

"On top of that, you have to burn the body, just to make sure.  And do you have any idea how hard it is to burn a corpse in public?  Especially after you've taken its head off.  People ask all these questions and occasionally they try to arrest you.  It's such a pain."  She shrugged and said, "But it's all in the name of crushing the forces of darkness, so I deal with it."

"You poor dear.  You do so much for so many and get nothing in return."

Lina grimaced and rubbed the back of her head.  "Jeez Auntie, when you put it like that, it sounds like I'm kind of getting a raw deal here.  Do you think I should start charging for my services or something?"  She rubbed her chin thoughtfully and muttered, "I suppose I could get fifty gold pieces per vampire…"

Aqua laughed and shook her head.  "I'm not suggesting that, dear.  I'm just saying that it takes a remarkable individual to do what you do.  I expect that it's a hard road without any friends and anywhere to call home."

"It's not that bad.  Not anymore." Lina said quietly.  She recalled long lonely nights spent stalking some unspeakable horror with a shudder.  During that time, she'd always been one step ahead of death and sometimes found herself wishing for it.  Fear kept her going.  Fear and a desire for revenge on-  "Hey, what was that for?" she asked when Aqua embraced her.  She returned the hug and smiled, her dark thoughts dispelled as if by magic.

"You looked upset, dear, and I thought that you needed a hug.  We all do sometimes," Aqua explained.  "Please, do go on with your story."

"Yeah, I was lonely for awhile, but… things changed.  I've got friends now.  I never really had any friends before I met them."  Lina nodded over at Amelia and Gourry who were currently locked in a life or death struggle for the last of a pot of stew.  The swordsman was at a disadvantage, as he was still fending off a half dozen clingy young ladies.

"Good friends, I assume?" Aqua said with a knowing smile as she watched Lina gaze at Gourry.

"The best," Lina agreed.  "I'd be dead now if it wasn't for them.  I know that I would.  Somehow, they help me keep going, no matter what."  She smiled sadly as she thought of Xellos.  "Some of them might still be alive if it wasn't for me."

Aqua climbed to her feet with a grimace.  "Oh dear.  Do you think you were responsible for your friend's death?  You didn't kill him yourself, did you?"

Lina glanced up sharply, Martina's prophesy springing to mind.  "What?!  No.  No, I didn't."  Even as she said those words, she wondered if she had.  Had she killed Xellos by going to him for help?  Had the prophecy been fulfilled?  Martina had told her that the death would happen "by her hand", but what did that mean exactly?  Could it mean because of her actions?  Maybe that was why Xellos had allowed himself to die, to save her from her sad destiny.  Could that be it?  

A hopeful smile on her face, Lina gazed at Gourry lovingly.  As if sensing that she was watching, he glanced in her direction and waved.  Her face a bright shade of red, she shyly raised her hand in return.

Aqua patted Lina on the shoulder and said, "You see?  Things aren't as bad as you make them out to be.  Your friend made his own choices and you aren't responsible for that.  However, it does make you think, doesn't it?"

"What's that Auntie?" Lina whispered, never taking her eyes off Gourry.  She was feeling so euphoric at the moment that she almost missed what Aqua had told her.

"There was something you wanted to tell your friend before he died, wasn't there?  There always is.  That's the truly sad thing about death.  It's never an end.  There's always something unfinished."

"Yeah, I guess so."  Lina glanced up at Aqua and bit her lip thoughtfully.  "I wish I had a chance to say, 'thank you'.  He helped me so much."

Aqua nodded.  "If you'd known that he was leaving I'm sure that you would have told him.  But you didn't know.  What you have to remember is that all you really have is today.  Tomorrow is never a certainty, young lady."  She yawned and tiredly said, "I think that it's just about time for a nap.  I'm not really used to all this excitement.  You will remember what I said, won't you?"

Lina nodded, somehow feeling as if she were in a dream.  Everything was finally beginning to make sense.  "All we have is today," she muttered to herself thoughtfully.  She glanced up, meaning to thank Auntie for her advice, but the old woman was already gone.

************************************************************************

Jillas skulked silently through the woods, his ears twitching in anticipation of the slightest noise.  Despite what the boss had said, he knew that there was something wrong with this place. "Why can't 'e see it?" he whispered to himself.  He immediately cringed and glanced about as if his speaking might cause the trees to lash out against him.

Dusk had come and gone and the dark of night was reaching out to envelop the forest in shadow.  In stark contrast to before, the woods were deathly silent.  The breeze that had spooked Jillas before had died down.  Far from making him feel comfortable, it drove home the fact that he was the only animal in the area.  No birds sang, no squirrels ran through the trees.  Aside from the village, the entire area was bereft of life.

The hairs on the back of Jillas's neck stood up and he had the horrible feeling that he was being watched.  He glanced around wildly, expecting some shadowy beast to leap out of the trees and devour him.  He briefly considered running.  After all, the boss had said that he could leave, right?  He actually turned and took a step towards the woods that actually felt right before stopping himself.  "I won't abandon th' boss," he whispered determinedly.  His head held high, he turned and began to walk towards the village.  By the time he'd taken ten steps, he was cringing and had broken into a jog, and then finally a dead run.  He barely resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder.  He didn't want to know what might be behind him.

A ghostly figure clad in white watched Jillas run from a perch in one of the trees.  A small smile crossed its features and it whispered, "Cowardly," in a voice as cool as ice.  The wind blew again, stirring leaves about, but its ivory cloak never moved.  It was as if the being was not a part of its surroundings.  After a moment of silent contemplation, it moved, making nary a sound as it followed the fox man's path through the forest.

************************************************************************

The party had been a rowdy affair with much singing, dancing, and celebrating, but as parties tend to do, it died down as the evening wore on until at long last, Lina found herself alone under the tree, the last conscious person in the square.  It was a beautiful night, without a single cloud blocking the view of the full moon.

Lina sighed contentedly as she gazed up at the moon.  Normally, a full moon was cause for alarm as all sorts of dark creatures drew power from it.  To let her guard down on a night like tonight was only asking for trouble.  She yawned and stretched out into a more comfortable position.  These weren't normal circumstances though.  She felt happy now that she knew what she was going to do and no ill moon was going to spoil that.

The light of a fire briefly shined through an open door as Gourry finally stepped out of a nearby house.  He shut the door behind him and leaned up against it tiredly, breathing a sigh of relief.  The way everyone had treated him, you'd think he was the High Priest or something.  Being a celebrity was exhausting.  Deciding that he was going to go home and get some sleep, he turned to walk the short distance to his parents' house.  Seeing as they weren't home, they wouldn't mind if he used their bed.  It'd be a blessing after a week and a half of sleeping on rocks.  He glanced at the tree that he and Lina had been sitting under before and was pleasantly surprised to see that she was still resting in the shadows.  The effect on him was instant.  He grinned and stood a little taller, the weariness and thoughts of sleep suddenly gone.  "Hey," he said cheerfully as he took a seat beside the redhead.

Lina was glad for the shade of the tree.  It hid the fact that her face was bright red at the moment.  Trying to sound casual, she said, "Well there's a familiar face.  I haven't seen you for hours.  The girls finally let you go?"

"Jeez, that was a hassle," Gourry said with a roll of his eyes.  "I didn't think they were ever going to leave me alone.  Sorry I had to leave."

"It's okay.  Your grandmother and I had a nice talk.  Did your parents get back yet?"  Lina immediately wished that she hadn't asked as she saw a pained expression cross Gourry's face.  "So, I guess that's a no, huh?"

"It's like grandma said.  They're probably spending the night in another village.  I just wish they'd get back.  I haven't seen them in ten years, you know?"

Something about what Gourry had just said struck Lina as odd, but she quickly dismissed it.  There were more important things to think about at the moment.  "Gourry, can we, um, can we talk for a minute?"  She muttered, "Stupid," under her breath.  She sounded like an idiot.

Gourry grinned.  "I thought we were talking."  Noting the way that the redhead was fidgeting, he scooted over next to her and put an arm around her.  "Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm good," Lina whispered nervously, taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down a bit.  She had everything she was going to say planned out and it'd disappeared as soon as Gourry put his arm around her.

A few moments of silence followed in which Gourry just enjoyed being close to Lina while she squirmed uncomfortably.  Not at the idea of being held by Gourry, she'd be perfectly happy doing that all night, but because of what she was about to ask him.

"Gourry?" Lina whispered as she stared down at her hands.  They were fidgeting in her lap and she had to trap them between her knees to keep them still.  She forced herself to look up into his eyes and asked, "Do… Do you remember what happened in the tunnels, you know, when we were escaping from Sairaag?"  She half hoped that he didn't.  It would be a lot less nerve wracking.

"Sure," Gourry said with a nod.  "I've been thinking about it a lot, actually."

"You have?!" Lina squeaked.  She quickly shook her head and cleared her throat.  "Oh, well, that's good.  Because I was thinking about it too."

"Did you figure it out?" Gourry asked excitedly.  "Because I can't figure out how that guy was still fighting without his arms.  On top of that, he was almost cut in two.  The only thing I was able to guess is that he must have been pretty tough."

"Oh.  Yeah, I guess he was, huh?" Lina muttered sadly.  He had forgotten, hadn't he?  She felt her spirits sink.  It must not have been that important to him then.  How could she have been so stupid?  "Well, it's late and I think I'd better get to bed."  She slipped out from under Gourry's arm and arduously climbed to her feet, almost as if she were in pain.  "G'night," she whispered.  She made it maybe five steps before he called out to her.

"Lina, I do think you're beautiful."  That's what she wanted to hear, Gourry thought.  He knew it was either the thing with the monster or the 'beautiful' thing.  It was just his luck to pick the wrong one first.

Lina stopped in her tracks and briefly struggled to remember how to breathe.  Somewhere in the last two seconds, she'd forgotten everything.  She felt her stomach turn a flip as her knees turned to jelly.

"Hey, are you sick or something?"  Gourry quickly leapt to his feet and hurried over to the staggering girl.  He put one arm around her waist and turned her face up towards his with the other hand.  "How much have you had to drink?" he asked suspiciously when he saw the queasy expression on her countenance.

"Not enough," Lina replied with a shake of her head.  If she'd been drunk, she wouldn't be tripping all over herself right now.  She took a deep breath and, looking into Gourry's blue eyes with an almost frightened expression on her face, whispered, "Kiss me."  She gasped in shock as soon as the words escaped her lips.  Had she really said that?

Gourry leaned down to do as Lina asked when his handy sense of self-preservation kicked in.    He couldn't have heard her right.  Last time he'd tried to kiss her she'd shoved him across the room, hadn't she?  Better make sure.  Smiling sheepishly, he cautiously asked, "I'm sorry, what'd you say?" 

Of all the annoying times for Gourry to get stupid on her, Lina thought angrily.  Did the jellyfish think that this was easy for her or something?  She rolled her eyes and yelled, "I said, 'Kiss me,' you big dummy!"  It was a wonder that she didn't wake half the village with her shout.  Her ire quickly melted away when she felt his gentle hands caress her face.

Gourry didn't have to be told twice… or not three times in any case.  He lovingly cupped Lina's face in both hands, hesitating just a moment to gaze into her fiery eyes.  And then, showing a remarkable amount of restraint he leaned down and ever so gently brushed his lips against hers.  He was afraid that he would scare her away if he kissed her too passionately.

That apparently wasn't a problem as Lina reached up to cup the back of Gourry's head and roughly yanked him farther down.  If this was going to be their only kiss, she wanted it to be a memorable one.

Encouraged by Lina's actions, Gourry wrapped his arms around the small woman's waist and lifted her off her feet, savoring the sensation of her body pressed against his, struggling desperately to explain to her with his kiss just how much he cared for her.  His hands drifted up her back and he ran his fingers through her shimmering locks of red and silver, just as he'd dreamed of doing for so long.

They stayed that way, kissing in the pale moonlight for what might have been ten seconds, ten minutes, or maybe even a few hours.  Whatever it was, it wasn't long enough for either of them.

In the end, doubt was what made Lina break the kiss.  As she pulled away from him, Gourry followed, meaning to reclaim her lips with his own.  She turned her face away from him, denying him another kiss and instead his lips found a place just beneath her ear.  Deciding that it was good enough for the moment, he began to rain feathery kisses down upon the side of her neck.

Lina smiled as she struggled to detach herself from the amorous swordsman.  "Gourry, cut it out," she protested between giggles.  "That tickles!"  Somehow she wormed her arms between their bodies, finally managing to claim some small space for herself.  As she felt he feet touch the ground again, she took a shaky breath, feeling incredibly thankful that he still had his arms around her waist.  She wasn't sure that she could stand under her own power.  "That was nice," she said quietly.

In response, Gourry hugged Lina tightly, clinging to her as if she were life itself.  It seemed to be the only way to properly convey to her the gamut of emotions he was feeling at the moment.  Joy, relief, love, he expressed them all incredibly eloquently with his silence.

Lina returned the hug with interest.  Wrapped in Gourry's arms, she asked, "Can… Can we sit down somewhere?  There's something that I need to tell you."

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A few minutes later, they were sitting at the table in the kitchen of Gourry's childhood home.  It was a simple room dominated by a small fireplace and a small table draped in a faded floral print tablecloth.

Lina leaned back in her chair, a slate gray cat curled up on her lap.  "Who's a good kitty?" she cooed, scratching the animal behind the ears.  A loud purr rewarded her efforts and she giggled.  "Ooh, that's right, you're the good kitty."  She glanced around the modest kitchen, unconsciously nodding in satisfaction.  She liked it here.  It was modest and somehow it reminded her of her own home.  

Gourry watched Lina coddle the cat with an expression of absolute contentment upon his face.  This was what he adored about her, he thought.  Not the bravado, not the arrogance.  It wasn't even about her looks really, although as he had told her, she was quite beautiful.  No, he loved what he was seeing now:  the sweet girl that was usually hidden behind the Slayer.  

Glancing up into Gourry's eyes, Lina favored him with a smile, albeit a nervous one.  She took a deep breath and set the cat down on the floor.  Never taking her eyes off of the swordsman, she released the clasp on her cloak.

"Uh, Lina?  What are you doing?" Gourry asked as he watched her cast the cape aside, followed quickly by her gloves.

"Quiet," Lina commanded.  "You have to see this and if you don't shut up, I'll lose my nerve."  She jerked her right sleeve up, almost tearing the material in her haste to get the unpleasantness over with.  "There," she said, laying her exposed arm down on the tabletop.  "See?"

Curiously, Gourry leaned forward to see what Lina was showing him.  He gazed at the pale skin thoughtfully before coming to the obvious conclusion.  "Oh, I'm sorry, Lina," he said with a rueful shake of his head.  He patted her arm in sympathy.

Lina quickly nodded, biting her lower lip to keep herself from whimpering.  Gourry understood then.  He saw how horribly she'd been marked by her years of hunting evil.

"You're kinda bony, but it's not that big a deal," Gourry said with a nod.  "I really don't mind."  He cringed when he saw her staring at him, mouth agape.  Apparently, he'd said something wrong again.  "Um, if it bothers you, you could always eat more, you know."

"You jellyfish!  Are you blind or just stupid?!" Lina demanded, pointing at the glaringly obvious deformities in her skin.

Gourry looked again and chuckled.  "Those little things?  You can hardly see those."  He stood and lifted his shirt to reveal a bone white mass of scar tissue in the shape of a crescent moon just below his breastbone.  "See?  I got that breaking up a bar fight one night.  The guy stabbed me with a broken bottle.  That's a scar, Lina."  He nodded to the pale marks on Lina's arm and added, "Those are hardly even nicks."

Lina winced sympathetically.  "That had to hurt.  Take a look at this though."  She quickly stood and loosened her shirt.  Smiling smugly, she pulled it up to reveal three cruel scratch marks that had been drawn across her stomach.  "Werewolf up in Atlas City.  I didn't see him coming and he almost gutted me."

"Hmm, that's pretty impressive," Gourry said with a nod of admiration, "but take a look at this."  He showed Lina his right forearm.  A long scar snaked from the base of his wrist to his elbow.  "Training accident.  I was supposed to be practicing a disarming technique and I wasn't paying attention.  I couldn't use the arm for a month."

"You not paying attention to something?  There's a surprise.  I've got that beat though," Lina said as she undid the top three buttons of her blouse.  She slipped it down to reveal an old burn that covered most of her left shoulder.  In the middle of that was an indentation that looked to be almost an eighth of an inch deep.  "The burn is from a ghost that I tangled with about three years ago.  The stab," she said, poking the wound for emphasis, "was from the blood demon, Grou."

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Zelgadis's eyes flew open, and he quickly sat up in the dark.  His sleep had been sporadic and unfulfilling of late as he was unable to sleep on his back anymore.  That was only part of the problem though.  Whenever he closed his eyes, violent images, horrible in their realism sprung to mind.  Cruel laughter echoed on the edge of his consciousness, reminding him that he'd just experienced one such vision.  Thankfully, the dark remnants of this last nightmare were fading fast.  One thing stuck with him though.  He'd heard a woman's voice saying a familiar phrase over and over.  "The blood demon?" he whispered inquisitively, almost as if he expected the dark canopy of trees to answer.  

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"On top of that," Lina said with a smirk.  "This injury was reopened by Hellmaster a little while later.   But I still continued the fight.  No getting nicks and scratches from drunks for me, Gourry.  I only get mauled by the best."

Gourry sat at the table, raptly listening to Lina's story.  "Wow, those are some pretty impressive scars.  You're great, you know that?  I wish I could have seen Hellmaster.  He sounds pretty intimidating."

"Yeah?" Lina growled.  "Well you did, you chowder head!  All that stuff happened a few months ago."

"Oh.  Right!"  Gourry said with an embarrassed grin.  Noting that the redhead was smiling at him now, he said, "I'm glad you feel better.  You looked like you were ready to cry a little earlier.  What was wrong?"

"Well," Lina hesitantly said as she buttoned her blouse back up, "I thought I was ugly."  Saying it aloud like that made her realize how foolish it sounded.  She laughed and stared down at the tabletop, feeling more than a little silly, only glancing up when Gourry took her hands within his own.

"I don't think you're ugly," Gourry whispered.  "You could be missing an arm and you'd still be beautiful.  Or an eye.  Or even a leg.  Heck, you'd be beautiful if you were missing both legs.  Or even…"  

Lina chuckled nervously and interrupted Gourry's tirade before he got too graphic.  "Let's not tempt fate, okay?  I think I get the idea."

Gourry leaned across the table and lovingly kissed Lina's neck.  "Did you really," he asked between kisses, "think that those marks made a difference?"

"Well, yeah… I kinda did," Lina replied as she turned her head to the side to give Gourry easier access to her throat.  Running her fingers through his flaxen hair, she sighed happily.  A girl could get used to this kind of treatment really quick.  She stiffened up briefly when she felt his hands slide up her arms to her throat where they began to unbutton her blouse again.

This was going incredibly fast and Lina felt more than a little overwhelmed.  She had half a mind to stop it.  This was how it had started in Zelas's realm.  The promise of love masking the darkness.  The horrible darkness.  She shoved Gourry back to arms length and timidly asked, "Do… Do you love me?"  Even before he answered, she saw it in his face and all her fears were alleviated.

Gourry smiled warmly when he saw the relief in Lina's face.  "You really didn't know, did you?" he asked, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth.  "And you call me a jellyfish?  Lina, I'd die for you."  Noting the redhead's frightened expression, he asked, "What's wrong?"

The last lingering doubts about the prophecy came to mind and Lina quickly shook her head to dispel them.  She was free of that.  Xellos had done that for her.  "Nothing," she said, and with an impish grin, she launched herself across the table to tackle Gourry.

"What are you doing?!" Gourry yelped as he struggled to maintain his balance in the chair.  He could have caught himself, but his arms had embraced the redhead of their own volition.

Lina braced her feet on the table and shoved, riding the hapless swordsman down to the floor with a loud crash.  "Making the best of today," she said breathlessly as she finished undoing that buttons that he'd started.  "It's all we have."  She leaned down and kissed him passionately while simultaneously struggling to wriggle out of her blouse.  Finally free of the garment, she flung it over her shoulder without a second thought.

Gourry's eyes widened and he barely managed to mumble, "Kaf," through Lina's onslaught of kisses.  When she intensified her assault, he repeated, "Kaf!" a little more insistently this time.  Finally, he seized the redhead by her shoulders and reluctantly pushed her away.  

"What?  Why'd we stop?" Lina whispered breathlessly, her entire upper body flushed bright pink with excitement.  Without waiting for an answer, she reached down and began to insistently tug upwards on Gourry's shirt.  "Help me out a bit here," she grumbled when he didn't move.

Gourry took a deep breath and said, "Cat."

"Cat?" Lina muttered, a cute expression of puzzlement on her face.  "Okay," she said after a moment.  "It's kinda weird, but I guess you can call me Cat.  Is it because of my feline grace and kittenish good looks?" she asked, putting her hands behind her head and thrusting her chest out in a provocative pose.

A pained expression on his face, Gourry shook his head and explained, "No, Lina.  The cat.  I think I landed on the cat when you knocked me over."  Muffled yowling from beneath his back confirmed his suspicions.  Grabbing Lina by the waist, he quickly rolled to the side and a moment later, their positions were reversed.

The gray tabby hissed at Gourry angrily and darted out of the room.  However, he was too busy to care.  Trailing kisses down Lina's throat to her chest, he smiled when he heard her hiss and felt her grab two fistfuls of his hair.  She must have really been enjoying herself.

The sensations were quite pleasant, but that wasn't exactly what had caused Lina's reaction.  "Fire," she whispered as she watched her blouse burn.  She'd tossed it right on the lantern earlier and… oh boy, the tablecloth just went up too.  She gritted her teeth as she watched the fire begin its eager consumption of the entire kitchen.  "Gourry," she said, tapping him on top of his head to get his attention, "did you hear what I just said?"

Gourry nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, fire.  I like fires too, Lina.  They're good for toasting marshmallows and-"

"Marshmallows?!"  What the hell was Gourry doing, thinking about marshmallows at a time like this?!  Rolling her eyes angrily, Lina grabbed a handful of the swordsman's hair and violently tugged on it to get his attention.  "There's a fire, bait for brains!" she yelled.  Jeez, he could be so stubborn sometimes!

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Amelia lay curled up on the floor under a frayed blanket.  It was nice.  She was wondering what she was going to do tonight as far as sleep was concerned.  Just when she had resigned herself to a fate of sleeping under one of the tables, an elderly lady had taken pity on her and offered her lodgings for the evening.  Of course, she'd eagerly accepted.

Now, Amelia tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable spot.  It wasn't like she wasn't used to sleeping on the floor.  Being a part of a traveling circus pretty much required it.  There were only so many cots in the wagons and they were pretty much shared by all the members.  

No, that wasn't the problem.  The problem was that Amelia had so much on her mind.  There was the strange way that Zelgadis had been acting lately, food, that Marco boy, food, wondering what had happened to Jillas, food, the brief sound of Lina yelling 'Put it out, put it out!', oh and did she mention food?  Her mind was a veritable whirlwind of thoughts.  No wonder she couldn't sleep.  Her stomach growled loudly and she looked around embarrassedly as if she thought that it might have woken her host.  She'd eaten so much, and yet she was still starving.  It was odd.

"Excuse me, Miss?" a voice whispered from the shadows.

Amelia barely suppressed a surprised yelp as she sat up and looked around.  "Marco?" she whispered curiously, when she saw who was kneeling next to her.  How had he gotten in without her noticing?

Marco frowned apologetically and whispered, "Sorry to wake you, but I still can't find Sarah.  Will you help me?"

Glancing out the window, Amelia frowned.  "It's after midnight.  Are you sure that she just didn't come to visit today?  Maybe she was sick or something."

"That's not what happened," Marco said with an emphatic shake of his head.  "Sarah promised to visit today and even if she was sick, she'd come to tell me at least.  Will you please help me find her?"  Swallowing nervously, he reluctantly admitted, "I'm… I'm kinda sorta afraid to look by myself."

"Alright," Amelia said after a moment of thought.  "I'm sure that she's fine though.  How far away is her village?"

"About three miles," Marco replied, a smile of relief on his face.  He took Amelia's hand and insistently tugged on it.  "Come on, Miss, we have to hurry!"

Amelia allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and followed Marco out into the cool night air.  It'd be two hours to get there and back and he'd be happy then, so it wasn't that big a deal.

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An hour later, Lina and Gourry lay in the bed, snuggled against one another under the sheets.  Smiles adorned both their faces as they savored the bliss that came from being near one another.

Lina shivered as a cool breeze drifted through the open window and quickly shoved her back into Gourry's finely muscled form while pulling his arms tighter around her.  She had to admit that he made an excellent blanket.  "Jellyfish, are you awake?" she whispered quietly, planting a kiss on his bicep.

In response, Gourry mumbled something that might have been a "yes" and leaned forward to rest his chin on her shoulder.  "Still got to toast the marshmallows," he muttered tiredly, his face smudged with soot.  It had been a near thing with the fire, but thankfully they'd managed to put it out before it'd done too much damage.  It'd be a pain to clean up in the morning though.

"You've got some kind of weird thing about the marshmallows, don't you?" Lina asked with a grin.  Savoring Gourry's warmth, she squirmed around a bit before deciding that she was comfortable.  "I know that you're not awake," she whispered teasingly.  She turned and gave him a quick peck on the nose, which made him snort and recoil a bit.  "That's good though.  I'm glad you're asleep.  It makes it a lot easier to talk to you.  It's less embarrassing this way and I can pretend that you understand what I'm trying to say."  She clapped a hand over her mouth as she was momentarily seized by a giggling fit. 

Getting herself under control a moment later, Lina took a deep breath and whispered, "Did you know that you're the reason I'm here today?  You saved me so many times.  And not just when we were together.  You saved me when I was alone too.  When I fought Hellmaster, you were one of the things that kept me going, kept me alive."  She sighed tiredly, recalling the battle.  "I wanted so much to see you again.  Oh, and do you remember when we were in the tunnels?  And I helped with the Sword of Light?  That was because of you too.  I thought of you.  It wasn't lust, desire, or anything that base," she whispered thoughtfully.  "Those are chaotic thoughts.  They would have put the sword out in an instant."  Blushing brightly, she quietly confessed, "I… I think it was love, Gourry."  She shook her head and snorted in amusement.  "Jeez, I'm starting to sound like Amelia."

"I understand, Lina," Gourry sighed into the redhead's ear.

If it was possible, Lina appeared to turn even redder and whispered, "You heard that?"  She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see Gourry slumbering peacefully, his features looking angelic in the moonlight.  He'd heard.  He might not remember tomorrow but he'd understood and that was enough.  Happy to have all that off her chest, she looked out the window at the stars above as she felt drowsiness start to overtake her.  Sleeping at night?  Not six months ago, she would have cringed at the idea.  So many things could happen in the dark, after all.  But now she understood that not all of them were necessarily bad.  Comforted by that thought, she allowed herself to drift away into sweet unconsciousness.

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Next Chapter:  Following the call of her kind heart, Amelia investigates the depths of the night in search of a little girl who never made it home.  But the darkness hides more than an innocent child…

Notes:  Ah love, and on Valentine's Day too!  I'm so good.  Actually, believe it or not, I didn't plan it this way at all.  It was all a big coincidence.  This is one of my favorite chapters of the story thus far.  It's also the longest I've ever written, so good for me, I suppose.  Just don't get to used to it.  I'd probably drop over dead if I had to churn out 10,000+ words a week.

Well, chapter 30 and we're about halfway through the story if I've calculated correctly.  Oh, I'm sorry!  I can see all of you rolling your eyes and muttering, "Halfway?!  When's this drivel going to be done with?!"  Well, I can safely say, when you see me write "The End" the story will be over.  It'll happen within another 30 chapters, I promise.

I've got a silly little story for anyone that cares.  Lina's, "I said, 'kiss me,' you big dummy!" line isn't an original.  I pulled it from another source.  You won't see it on TV or in any book though.  Those exact words were said to my grandfather by my grandmother on their 50th wedding anniversary.  He was a little hard of hearing and when he was supposed to kiss her for some pictures, he didn't get it the first time.  So dear old grandma put it in terms (and volume) that he could understand.  It was funny then and I hope it was funny now.  It's just one of those cherished memories that everyone has, I suppose.  End of silly little story.

Reviewer Response:

Wow Sami, yet more amazing praise!  *grins sheepishly*  You're too kind.  I really hope that you enjoyed the L/G portion of the chapter.  And you're not allowed to start on anymore fanart right now!  You haven't finished the first one and I want to see it!  Still haven't seen that e-mail yet, either (hint, hint).

Otaku girl, have I ever told you that you scare me sometimes?  No, really.  First you tell me to look you up and then I'm not supposed to look you up and… well, damn it, I'm confused!  I refuse to do anything else until you tell me what I'm supposed to do!  *hides in a corner*  Just kidding of course!

Miss Gabriev, I thought in the last review you were saying that Try was your new favorite?  What happened?

"Kinda sexy," Raven?  I preferred Lina in the cute little waitress uniform myself, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.  You know what?  As a special treat for you, there's going to be a scene of a shirtless and incredibly buff Zel in the next chapter!  You see what I do for the fans?  And I promise you that it's not a coincidence.  No way!  *crosses fingers*

Ooh, kinda boring, Dragonet?  *winces*  Harsh words, indeed.  Pray tell, how would you have improved the chapter to make it more interesting?  I thought it had a nice mixture of action, romance, humor, and gore myself, but you're the reader and it's your opinion that counts in the end.

Until next time, my beloved reviewers!  Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this and taking another few minutes to comment on it.  And as always, thanks to Pogo (who seems to have forgotten to check in this week.  Yeesh, you'd think that just because she reads each chapter 5-10 times she'd still check out the finished product).  Either way, she's a fine beta reader.


	31. Song in the Night

Darkness hung over the village like a shroud.  Ominous looking clouds had obscured the once bright moon.  Nary an animal stirred.  Not even a cricket.  It was as if they knew that it wasn't safe and intentionally avoided the area.  Aside from the village, everything was a lifeless blemish upon the face of the world.

Although the creatures of the night refused to raise their voices in song, the woods were not silent.  A ghostly voice echoed through the trees, singing a lament for innocence.  It was a sad sound, made even more so by the fact that the singer betrayed no emotion in their words.  It was as if they couldn't even remember what they'd lost.

The voice drifted through the forest, touching everyone that heard it in different ways.

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In the village, Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev slumbered, their bodies pressed close to one another.  The voice barely reached them through the open bedroom window, but still managed to elicit a reaction.

Lina had been wearing a satisfied smile as she slept, but when she heard those haunting words, her expression quickly turned to one of sorrow and she began to weep quietly.  Tears rolled down her face to dampen the pillow and she whispered, "Xellos… Sis…" remembering those she had left behind in Sairaag.

Gourry's reaction was far different from Lina's.  A scowl crossed his face as if he sensed that there was something amiss.  His eyes drifted open and he slowly sat up, feeling a strange sense of disquiet.  Hearing quiet sobs he glanced down to see the redhead trembling in sorrow.  He leaned over to kiss her bare shoulder and stroked her hair reassuringly.  It seemed to help a little, but she still looked quite upset.  As much as it pained him to admit it, he couldn't protect her from her dreams.  

Unless it wasn't her dreams that were the problem, Gourry thought as he glanced out the window, searching for the source of that eerie melody.  There was nothing to see save dark trees and ominous clouds in the sky.  A sudden breeze blew the curtains about, casting shadows that danced wildly upon the wall in the meager moonlight.  The voice seemed to increase in volume with the coming of the breeze and he shuddered involuntarily.  It almost sounded as if the singer were approaching, perhaps lurking somewhere just out of the swordsman's sight.  Driven by some nameless sense of dread, he leapt out of the bed and darted over to the window.  A moment later, he'd slammed the shutters closed, unwilling to condone that terrible sound any longer.

Leaning against the wall, Gourry took a shaky breath and glanced over his shoulder, hoping that the sudden noise hadn't woken Lina.  She was a dark silhouette against the light sheets.  Had he not known that she was all right, he might have thought her dead as still as she was.  It wasn't a comforting thought, but at least he hadn't roused her.  He cocked his head, listening for the voice.  Thankfully, it had receded to the point that it was barely a whisper in the dark, unnoticed unless one knew it was there.  Satisfied that there was no immediate threat to his charge, he climbed back into bed and wrapped his arms about the young Slayer.  

Lina squirmed briefly, unused to the sensation of being grabbed in the dark even in such a loving manner.  However, her apprehensions were quickly alleviated when her companion whispered quiet reassurances in her ear.  Content with the knowledge that she was in no danger, she fell back into a dreamless slumber, trusting her protector to face the terrors of the night alone.

And so he did.  For a long time, Gourry lay awake his sharp senses attuned to the slightest disturbance in the dark.  His gaze darted about the room, challenging the innumerable pops and creaks in the dark.  As the night wore on, he began to remember the cause of each noise and they brought him comfort.  He was a boy of twelve again, listening to his house speak to him.  Eventually, he allowed the familiar noises of his childhood home to lull him to sleep.

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Zelgadis sat on hands and knees, panting loudly as he struggled to rein in the hunger that he was feeling.  For the last week, he'd been slipping away from the others to subsist on animals in the dead of night.  Normally, he'd partake of blood, even animal blood, only when he was hurt.  Now, he needed it.  Every night, he claimed more lives.

Except for tonight.  Zelgadis had searched far and wide, seeking a deer, bear, or even something as small as a rabbit; anything to slacken his thirst.  Blood consumed his thoughts and whatever was hiding within him was rapidly becoming impatient.  He groaned in pain as a series of painful spasms wracked his body and broke out in a cold sweat.  He needed it.  Didn't this godforsaken forest know that?  Where was its bounty of life?

Then the voice came, sounding unpleasantly smooth and sinister.  Zelgadis cocked his head, his face pale and gaunt with a sheen of moisture upon it.  He listened to its suggestion with a look of growing horror upon his face.  "No," he said with a vehement shake of his head.  "No, I won't do that."  Another spasm hit his stomach and he groaned again.  It felt as if his body was eating itself from the inside out.  He wouldn't do it though.  He'd sworn long ago that he'd never feed upon a human.  In a way, it felt as if that final sin would forever separate him from humanity.  People didn't feed on their own kind.

It was oversimplifying the problem, he realized.  That and it was melodramatic.  The world wasn't going to end if he did what he was born to do, would it?  If he could bring himself to take one, just one, he'd be all right for a few days at least.  Long enough to convince Amelia to leave this damnable village with him.  He began to salivate as he glanced in the direction of the hamlet.  Anyway, it wasn't like he had to kill them, he thought hopefully.  As much restraint as he'd shown over his lifetime, keeping the thirst in check, surely he could control how much he drank from a human, right?  Of course he could.  He wasn't a mindless animal after all.

Wiping a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth, Zelgadis turned towards the village, all thought of restraint gone with his decision to break his most vital rule.  Wicked laughter echoed in his mind as the demon within him reveled in another victory gained in the struggle against its host.

At that moment, the sound of singing reached Zelgadis's ears.  He snarled and shook his head, trying to block it out.  The song persisted and he reluctantly listened.  It was a tragic yet hauntingly beautiful melody, telling the story of a hero who gave up everything for the ones he loved.  Entranced, he sat down to better enjoy the story, all thought of his thirst driven from his mind for the moment.

Sometime during the part of the story that discussed the hero forever turning from the light to defeat the darkness, Zelgadis's eyes began to fill with tears.  By the end of the song, he was weeping openly, his body wracked with harsh sobs.  It sounded as if the singer were speaking directly to him.

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Not everything was dark and foreboding in the forest that evening.  In fact, had someone been going for an evening stroll, they may have come across a somewhat humorous albeit perplexing sight.

It was a fox, perfectly normal as far as foxes go, aside from a few glaring oddities.  An eye patch clung to his head precariously and a tattered cape was hung around his neck.  A pair of equally tattered pants tied with a bit of rope hung around the lower half of his body.  The most unusual thing was that this fox carried a pistol in his mouth,

Jillas had totally shirked his humanity in favor of speed as he ran through the forest.  The smells were getting stronger and the fear that had plagued him all day grew almost to the point that it was maddening.  Still, loyalty compelled him to press on.  The boss had told him to see to Amelia and that was what he was doing.  As long as she stayed in the village, he would guard it against anything that would seek to do her harm.

Coming to a point in the forest that he'd passed several times already, Jillas turned slightly to the right, continuing his circular path around the village.  He'd done this more times than he could count over the course of the evening, but continued on despite the protests of his exhausted body.  "Got… t'… look afta'… Amelia," he reminded himself.

It was at that moment, that the voice reached his ears, and for the first time in three hours, Jillas stopped running.  Panting heavily, he listened, his keen ears detecting that the singer wasn't human, or wasn't anymore in any case.  He felt the fur on his back begin to rise as a sudden chill struck him.  This voice wasn't a part of whatever was wrong in the forest.  Its owner was just as much a stranger as he and the others were.  

Curious, Jillas momentarily abandoned his post in favor of trotting off into the woods in the direction of the voice.  It was unnatural, but he got the sense that it wasn't necessarily evil.  Maybe the singer knew what was happening in this strange place.

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Chalk it up to luck or cruel fate, but somehow Amelia and Marco had made it past Jillas's patrol route without being spotted.  If they hadn't, what happened later might have turned out far better than it did.

Marco held onto Amelia's hand as he led her through the dark woods.  They knew that they should probably be calling for Sarah, but neither of them could muster the courage to raise their voices higher than a whisper.  They both cringed at the noise when they pushed their way through a bush.  Marco was a child with all the superstitions that came with that and Amelia was in the unique position of almost being an adult but keeping her childish imagination.  All told, neither of them wanted to risk too much noise, lest the imagined creatures of the dark come out to gobble them up.

Amelia winced in discomfort as the prickly leaves scratched her.  You'd think there'd be a path to the next village or something.  "Marco," she whispered.

"Yeah?"  Marco seemed to be quite unaffected by the thorns.  He moved through the brush with practiced ease, not getting snagged once.

"This is the way to the next village, right?" Amelia said as she glanced around thoughtfully.  No path, no signs, not even a break in the foliage; it looked to her as if this road hadn't been trafficked in years.  "Where's the footpath?"

A look of consternation upon his face, Marco muttered, "I… I don't know.  Sarah and I come through here every day.  So do the rest of the villagers.  It doesn't really make sense, does it?"

"Speaking of the villagers, where are they?" Amelia wondered aloud.  "If Sarah's missing, don't you think that they'd be out looking for her too?"

"They… They…" Marco muttered, struggling to figure out why they hadn't come looking for Sarah.  She had kind parents; her mother baked the best oatmeal cookies and her father was always willing to help them when they wanted to build a tree house or some other adventurous undertaking.  They should be out here too.  They would be, he was sure of it.  So, where were they?  "I-I-I don't know," he stammered after a long moment of confusion.

Amelia wasn't even listening to Marco anymore.  Her eyes were glinting with desire as she stared at a nearby fruit-bearing bush.  Stomach growling loudly, she eagerly tugged on her companion's hand and whispered, "Hey, are these berries edible?"

"What?" Marco muttered, grateful to be distracted from his unpleasant questions.  He picked one of the black berries and held it up in the moonlight.  Scrutinizing it with the eye of a boy that had tried everything that the forest had to offer at least once, he dubiously shook his head and said, "Um, I don't know, Miss.  They look like poisonous berries to me and-  What are you doing?!"

A guilty smile on her juice-smeared face, Amelia chuckled and said, "Sorry, I'm just so hungry."  As if that were explanation enough for eating poisonous fruit, she resumed her meal, greedily snatching handfuls of berries off the bush and cramming them into her mouth.  

A few moments passed, punctuated by the sound of eager munching and a look of horrified fascination upon Marco's face.

"Oh, that's so much better," Amelia sighed after eating her fill.  For the first time since she and the others had arrived in the village, she felt full.  She'd almost forgotten what a wonderful sensation it could be.  That had been so much more filling than the food at the party.  

"You… You're not dead?" Marco whispered in amazement.  Looking at one of the berries again, he plucked it from the bush and reluctantly popped it into his mouth.  The instant he bit down he regretted his actions and, shooting Amelia an almost comical look of panic, dashed a few feet away to empty the contents of his stomach in relative privacy behind a nearby tree.

"Ooh, I'm sorry!" Amelia stage whispered.  Now that she thought about it, she didn't feel so hot herself, but there was no way that she was going to lose her meal.  She willed herself to digest, and with many, many misgivings and threats of vengeance, her stomach complied.

It was at that moment that the forest's haunting melody reached them.  They both glanced up at the sound of the singing, simultaneously entranced and repulsed by it.

Biting her lip nervously, Amelia reluctantly asked, "Is that Sarah?"  Secretly, she really hoped it wasn't.

"No…" Marco said after a moment of thought.  "No, it's way too pretty to be Sarah's voice.  Sarah sounds like a donkey when she sings."  He glanced up at Amelia and grinned.  "It's not Sarah, but maybe they've seen her!"  He grabbed her hand and began to tug her in the direction that the voice was coming from.  "Come on Amelia!"

"Marco, I don't know about this…" Amelia whispered, resisting his insistent tugs on her arm.  "We probably shouldn't bother them.  They sound kind of busy, don't you think?"

"Don't you want to find Sarah?"

Well, now that she thought about it, Amelia wasn't so sure anymore.  If they waited for morning, it'd be brighter and a lot less creepy.  She was about to suggest that they go back to town and wait for the dawn, when she happened to glance down at Marco and saw the hopeful expression on his face.  She sighed and nodded.  "Okay.  Let's go."  As they pressed on into the darkness, she mentally reprimanded herself.  There was a little girl that might need help and here she was thinking only of herself.  

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The source of the disquiet that Lina and the others had been feeling was currently situated on a branch high in a pine tree.  The mysterious figure in white lay draped across the limb, bearing a frightening resemblance to a great cat searching for prey down below.

The last words of the lament escaped the cloaked figure's lips.  Its head was cocked, as if listening to those last haunting echoes in the forest.  A moment later, a sigh of disappointment escaped pale lips.  Once again, there had been no emotion associated with song.  The lament had been learned several years ago and used to be quite beautiful.  It had often moved both singer and listeners to tears.  But now, now that there was actually reason to lament the loss of the light, there was nothing.  No sadness, no pain; cool apathy was all that could be mustered.  Even feeling anger at the lack of sadness seemed to be impossible.

"Hello?" a woman's voice called from the base of the tree.

Startled out of its contemplation, the ghostly figure curiously peered over the edge of the limb to the fog coated ground twenty feet below.  Could it be?  The sight of a raven-haired young lady and a small boy stated that, yes indeed it could be.  The fly had wandered right into the center of the spider's web.  How convenient.  Amelia was as good as dead.  The child could run or die with her; it mattered not which.

With inhuman grace, the ghostly figure leapt off the limb, appearing not so much to jump as to pour like liquid silver.  Traveling headfirst as it plummeted downwards, it almost lazily dodged the innumerable branches that threatened its descent.  Somewhere over the course of the fall, the wind whipped the hood of the cloak back, briefly revealing long dark hair and a hungry smile marked by wicked fangs.  Just before impact, it seemed to slow, nonchalantly flipping in midair and soundlessly landing feet first on the ground.  As the incandescent cloak came to rest about it, a single word was whispered.  "Amelia."

Amelia instinctively leapt back.  Whoever it was had appeared as if by magic and apparently knew her name.  "Who are you?  What do you want?"  Her hand strayed to the dagger in her belt and she crouched, trying to decide if she should fight or flee.  Marco, she remembered.  She had to get Marco out of here.  She said, "Marco, you have to-" before turning and seeing that the boy was nowhere to be found.  He was quick, it seemed.  When she looked back at her foe, she was startled to find that he'd closed the distance between them and their noses were less than an inch from one another.

"Xellos?" Amelia whispered.  Lina had told her how Xellos had died, but she'd also said that he was an angel, so that meant that he could come back, right?  The figure standing before her wore the mischievous grin of one keeping a secret and its face was framed by long purple hair.  She shivered at the coolness the figure seemed to radiate.

"Xellos?"  The cloaked figure scowled at the mention of that name and quickly flipped the hood back up to conceal its features before Amelia could really get a good look at its face.  Noting that she was trembling, a hungry smile crossed the porcelain mask and it whispered, "You're cold.  I'm cold too.  Warm me, Amelia."

Something about those last words chilled Amelia more than her foe's coolness ever could.  She pulled her dagger free and raised it, meaning to plunge it into his chest.  There was no doubt in her mind now that, Xellos or not, this thing meant to do her harm.  There was a rustling of cloth and the incandescent cloak blinded her briefly.  When she regained her wits, she realized that her hand was numb.  Her dagger glinted briefly as it soared through the air before disappearing into the darkness.  Even as she realized that she'd somehow been disarmed, he was upon her, wrapping her in a tight embrace.  She gasped as she felt a sharp pain in her throat and a moment later, she heard horrible slurping sounds.  "Mister Zelgadis," she managed to whisper as the world began to dim.

The sound of thunder split the air, shattering the horrible silence of the night.  "Let 'er go, ye bloody leech!"

The vampire rolled its eyes and reluctantly pulled away from Amelia.  With an air of annoyance, it reluctantly turned to look at this new intruder.  "Leech?" it repeated to the fox man in an offended tone.  Turning back to the prey, it whispered, "I'll see to you in a moment, child," just before lapping a little more blood from the twin puncture wounds in her throat.

Amelia groaned in response, her face as white as a sheet.  She blinked drowsily, struggling to focus on her attacker.  She found herself quite unable to shake the sense that this was Xellos, come back from the dead to haunt them for some inexplicable reason.  Thankfully, she blacked out a moment later.

"I said, get away from 'er!" Jillas snarled, leveling his pistol at the silvery white ghost.  "Let 'er go!"

Tapping its alabaster cheek thoughtfully, the figure seemed to ponder Jillas's command.  After a moment, it nodded in agreement and released Amelia, who promptly fell to the ground in a heap.

Jillas winced as he watched his foe nonchalantly drop Amelia as if she were so much rubbish.  She didn't look good, but still appeared to be breathing.  That was a relief.  She was a nice master and on top of that, he didn't know how he could face the boss if he let anything happen to her.  Nodding, he gestured with his slug thrower, indicating that his foe should move.  "Right, then.  Ye jus' step away from 'er an' nobody has t' get 'urt."

A playful smile upon his face, the vampire waggled his finger and said, "You wasted it."  

"Whacha' mean?" Jillas growled, taking an involuntary step back.  Even as he asked, he knew what the thing had been referring to.  He'd fired a warning shot with a single shot pistol.  There was no way he could reload before the specter was upon him and they both knew it.  "Doncha' come nea' me!" he snarled, baring teeth and claws in an attempt to look imposing.  "I'll gut ye!"

Ignoring the threat, the cloaked figure quickly strode across the clearing, appearing to float on the mist instead of walk.  Its icy features were a mask of boredom as if it weren't about to do combat with a potentially deadly shape shifter. 

"No' one more step!" Jillas growled as he aimed his useless slug thrower at the cloaked figure's head.  "Ye think I won' shoot ye?"  He tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice but was only partially successful.  He hoped that someone had heard the shot and was on the way to help, because he doubted that what he was about to do would stop his foe.  "I'm warnin' ye!" he said as he reached for something tucked into the back of his belt.

Sensing that something was amiss, Jillas's foe paused, waiting to see what trick the stupid animal would try to pull.  It wasn't an impressive one, to say the least.  It casually ducked as the fox's pistol went sailing by its head.  A smirk upon its face, it watched as the useless weapon was swallowed by the darkness.  "Foolish," it chided, turning back to face him.  Suddenly, it found the barrel of a second gun leveled at its head.  The bored expression replaced by the vilest hatred, it hissed, "You…"

"I did warn ye," Jillas said with a cruel grin.  He pulled the trigger and for the second time in two minutes, thunder roared through the forest.

The once white cloak was suddenly stained with a mixture of dark blood and gray matter, as the vampire's skull from the eyebrows up disintegrated.  The slug exploded out the back of the hood, ripping it from the vampire's face.  Trying to cope with the temporary loss of most of its brain, it staggered back before falling to one knee, possibly the first graceless thing it had ever done.  Smoldering hair rained down around it as it glared at Jillas with its one remaining violet eye.  "Oh, you bad doggy," it admonished with a horrifying grin on its gore stained face.

To his credit, Jillas didn't bat an eye at this display as he quickly set about reloading his weapon.  "No' te' dog," he said with a satisfied smile,  'M a fox!  As in, 'Cleva' as a fox!"  He poured powder down the barrel and quickly fished around in his belt pouch for a slug.  Even as he did so, he realized it was useless.  His foe was already back on its feet.  "Damn ye," he spat defiantly as it resumed its approach.  He couldn't kill it, he thought as he abandoned his efforts and cast the gun aside, but he could make it wish that it were dead.  And maybe, just maybe, he could save Amelia.  Teeth and claws bared, he took the initiative and pounced.

The mostly brainless vampire barely managed to step back in time to avoid losing its throat to Jillas's fangs.  Moving with all the grace of a horribly inebriated elephant, it clumsily swung, the blow sailing harmlessly over his head.  He hadn't even needed to duck.  Snarling in anger, it swung with its other arm, correcting its aim a bit this time.  The blood it had just consumed flowed through its system, rapidly working to minimize and repair the damage that the shot had done.  Already, the world was starting to look a little less tipsy as its brain reconstructed itself cell by cell.

Jillas could tell that his foe was already recovering and knew that he had to do something to keep the beast off balance.  When it swung, he caught its arm in his talons and took a rather large bite out of it.  He grimaced distastefully as he did so.  Corrupted flesh and blood were hardly appetizing.  He quickly spat the mouthful onto the ground before lunging forward to latch onto its slender throat.  That would do some damage, he thought.  Cut off the blood flow to the brain and who knew how long it'd take to recover.

"No," the vampire hissed as it felt fox fangs sink into its neck.  In the blink of an eye, its hands were latched onto the top and bottom portions of Jillas's snout, just barely preventing him from absconding with most of its neck.  They stayed that way for a few moments, as it tried to muster enough strength in its maimed arm to detach his viselike teeth from about its windpipe.  With a cruel grin, it yanked and there was a loud snap, immediately followed by a yowl of agony.

Gracelessly crashing to the forest floor, Jillas thrashed about in agony, yelping ceaselessly as his broken jaw hung horribly askew.  For some inexplicable reason, he'd found that his desire to fight had suddenly deserted him.  All he could do was glare defiantly as his foe leaned down to pick him up by the front of his cloak.

"Clever like a fox?" came the mocking whisper.  It grabbed Jillas's jaw and shook it playfully, laughing cruelly as his howls of pain increased in volume.  "You're brainless prattle annoys me, animal."  Saying that, it took his tongue between two fingers and prepared to pull it free of his head.  A sudden sting in its shoulder interrupted it and it looked down to see fingers buried up to the second knuckle in its flesh.  "Who?"  Glancing up, it found itself nose to nose with a furious Zelgadis.  "You," it whispered with a knowing grin.  Not really having much alternative, it casually released its hold on Jillas and awaited the inevitable.

As soon as Jillas was safely out of its grasp, Zelgadis turned and violently dashed the vampire against a nearby tree.  His efforts were rewarded by the immensely satisfying sounds of popping and snapping.  Grinning evilly, he pulled his foe back and smashed it face first into the tree again.  Its face obliterated, and its body little more than a rag doll, he casually tossed it aside in favor of searching the ground for something he could use as a stake.  "I'm not the professional that Lina is," he said thoughtfully as he leaned down to pick something from the forest floor, "but I don't think I'll miss your heart with this."  He turned back to his fallen foe clutching a limb that was almost as wide as its narrow chest.  "Better to be sure," he said with a cruel laugh.

"How very pragmatic," the fallen vampire managed to hiss through a mouthful of broken teeth.  It tried to drag its broken body away from Zelgadis, not out of fear, but a desire to gain a few more moments to look him over.  Wings, a sadistic streak, and an almost bestial look; it was obvious what was happening here.  "Demon," it spat.

"What?!"  Zelgadis hesitated for a moment and eyed the broken creature curiously.  Who was this?  Regrettably, its face had been ruined and the rest of its body was shrouded in the loose fitting cloak making it quite impossible to determine the vampire's sex, much less its identity.  "State your name."

At that moment, Amelia called out for Zelgadis as she drifted back to the land of the living.

Zelgadis turned at the sound of the acrobat's voice, his wings drooping as if he felt guilty about something.  She needed help.  Help that he couldn't give her.  He was only good at taking lives, not saving them.  When he glanced back down at his fallen foe, it was already gone.  He fancied that he caught a glimpse of a ghostly cloak disappearing into the fog, but it could have been his imagination.  He scanned the clearing briefly, searching for any more threats before tossing his weapon aside and turning to see to Amelia.

Kneeling beside Amelia, Zelgadis glanced at Jillas and asked, "You okay?"  The fox looked more than a little roughed up.

Jillas tried to grin and nodded enthusiastically, quite unable to talk at the moment.  He winced in pain, wishing that he'd gone with a simple thumb's up.  Cuts, stabs, and the like inflicted with anything but silver tended to close in moments.  Something like the wound that he had suffered might take hours to right itself.

Unable to hide a grin of amusement at his servant's enthusiasm, Zelgadis nodded in thanks and quietly said, "Good job, Jillas."  The adoring way Jillas looked at him after receiving such high praise made him incredibly glad that the fox couldn't speak.  He'd probably be out here for hours trying to get him to shut up.  He frowned as he turned his attention to Amelia.  She was so pale and she seemed quite unable to focus on anything.  "Amelia!" he growled, loudly snapping his fingers in front of her face.  "Amelia, can you hear me?"

Amelia tried to smile, but only managed a sick looking grimace.  She clumsily reached out, trying to grab Zel's fingers as he continued to snap them a mere inch from her nose.  It was impressive how much noise one could generate with such a simple action.  Why was it called snapping anyway?  After all, the fingers didn't break, did they?  She looked at Zelgadis as if he were keeping a secret from her and muttered in a slurred manner, "Very clever, Mister Zelgadis."  Finger snapping would definitely bear much consideration.  Utterly exhausted, she allowed her head to fall back into the crook of his arm.  Maybe she'd sleep for a while now that Mister Zelgadis was here.  It was safe with him around.

Zelgadis's entire body tensed up when Amelia leaned back and he almost dropped her.  She'd inadvertently exposed the puncture wounds in her throat to him and he was captivated.  They were small marks; her assailant had been quite dainty, almost polite in its feeding.  Many vampires would have just torn out her throat in their raw desire for blood.  As he watched, a small runnel of the crimson fluid trickled down her neck to stain the collar of her shirt.  It was naught but a few drops, but more than enough to whet his appetite.  He could smell the purity in her blood and he needed it.

Taking a shaky breath, Zelgadis leaned forward, his fangs extending in anticipation of feeding.  Deep within himself, he could hear a voice goading him on.  It was a musical sound, the sound of chimes in the wind; so beautiful and intoxicating.  "So beautiful," he whispered as his lips brushed against Amelia's throat.  He hovered there, lost in a place between hunger and compassion as her blood stained his lips.  Finally, he shook his head and drew back, refusing to take her life, despite the urges of the demon within.  He drew the back of his hand across his mouth, wiping it clean.  He would not allow himself the slightest taste of her blood.  There was no way that he would betray one who trusted him so implicitly.

"I'm sorry, Amelia," Zelgadis whispered, leaning forward to kiss her cool forehead.  He quickly climbed to his feet, gently cradling her in his arms.  He'd take her to Lina.  She'd know how to heal Amelia.  This was her forte after all.  Turning to Jillas, he realized that he was on the verge of tears.  He quickly composed himself and growled, "Ready to go?"

Jillas nodded slowly and watched as Zelgadis turned towards the village with his precious cargo.  As soon as the boss had disappeared into the woods, he sighed in relief and drew out the pistol he'd hidden behind his back.  He hadn't wanted to, but he would have shot his master without hesitation had Zelgadis done Amelia harm.  Eyeing his pistol distastefully, he tucked it into his belt and darted off into the darkness in the direction the boss had gone.

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Lina slumbered, dreaming pleasant dreams of Gourry and mentally replaying the night's events over and over.  So, it was quite understandable that she was just a little peeved when she felt a hand on her arm, trying to shake her awake.  "Stop it, Gourry," she groaned, throwing an elbow back into his ribs.  "Lemmie sleep."  When the hand shook her again, more insistently this time, she cursed under her breath and yelled, "Cut it out!"  She lashed out with her heel, connecting squarely with Gourry's shin.

The totally innocent Gourry yelled in surprise and pain and rolled off the bed.  As if his luck couldn't get any worse, he banged his head against the nightstand on the way down.  "Ow!  What'd I do, Lina?!"  He sat up, trying to divide his time between rubbing the growing knot on his skull and the bruise that he was probably going to have on his shin.  "Hey, Zel," he said with a sheepish grin when he noticed that they weren't alone in the room.

"Zel?" Lina repeated.  Her eyes flew open and she found a winged monstrosity looming over her.  Without thinking, her foot lashed out again, this time connecting with the side of Zelgadis's head.  This had the effect of sending him to the floor with a painful sounding crash.  Not ten seconds after being rudely awoken, she'd managed to make everyone in the room regret it.  She was so good.  Pulling the sheet around herself for a modicum of decency, she leaned over the side of the bed and grinned smugly.  "Hi, Zel.  Do you know how to knock?"  Her medallion, the only part of her wardrobe she hadn't shirked during the evening's activities, hung over the side of the mattress, somehow glinting despite the lack of light.

Zelgadis involuntarily hissed at that sight and growled, "Put that away, would you?"  Once Lina had done as he asked, he massaged his jaw and muttered, "If you knew who it was, why'd you kick me?"

"You barge into an innocent maiden's bedchamber entertaining who knows what dark and twisted thoughts, stand there drooling over me for what might have been an hour or more, and now you have the nerve to ask me why I kicked you?  You pervert!"  Lina stuck her tongue out at Zelgadis and rolled away from the edge of the bed.  A moment later, she rolled back over and stared at him, her eyes as big as saucers.  "Not that I mean to pry or anything, but where'd you get the wings?"

"Yeah," Gourry chimed in as his head appeared over the side of the bed as well.  "They're really cool, Zel."  Receiving a dirty look from Lina, he shrugged defensively and said, "Well, they are!"

"Well, I don't like them," Zelgadis grumbled.  But, that wasn't really true, was it?  He was growing quite fond of them, now that he thought about it.  However, the way the others were staring at him, he really didn't appreciate that at all.  He felt like a circus freak on display for the witless masses.

Reading Zelgadis's thoughts in his expression, Lina blinked guiltily and turned to slap Gourry in the back of the head.  "Jellyfish!  Don't stare at him!"

"But, you were," Gourry protested.

"There's a big difference," Lina explained.  "I was examining them out of professional curiosity.  You were gawking at them because they're big, freakish, and they make him stand out like an elephant at a formal dance."

Gourry looked apologetic as he muttered, "I didn't say all that, now.  I just thought they were cool."

Zelgadis gawked at Lina, trying to decide whether to be furious at her thoughtless comments or figure out the bizarre analogy she'd made.  "Elephant at a formal dance?" he muttered under his breath.  Bewilderment had won over fury it seemed.  "Lina, what the hell are you talking about?!"  Suddenly remembering why he'd come, he shook his head irritably and growled, "Never mind that.  Amelia needs your help."  He picked himself up off the floor and quickly dusted his clothes off.

"What's wrong with Amelia?" Lina demanded, her spat with Gourry immediately forgotten.

"Well," Zelgadis muttered guiltily.  "She was bitten, Lina.  She's hurt and I don't know what to do to help her."  Noting the accusing way the redhead was looking at him, he stammered, "I-I didn't do it!  I swear!"

Lina scrutinized Zelgadis for a moment longer, noting the dark stains on his shirt.  He'd gotten blood on himself somehow.  If it wasn't Amelia's blood, then he had some explaining to do.  She reluctantly nodded and said, "I believe you."  She quickly glanced around the room looking for her clothes, before grimacing and muttering, "Oh yeah…"

"A little haste would be appreciated here, Lina," Zelgadis hissed through clenched teeth.  "Where are your clothes?"  Looking about the room, he noticed a marked lack of garments for both the redhead and the swordsman.  His eyes narrowed suspiciously, he hesitantly asked, "What happened?" not really sure that he wanted to hear the answer.

"Well," Lina said her face flushed bright red in embarrassment, "mine kinda got burnt up in a little incident earlier tonight."  Wincing at Zelgadis's incredulous stare, she pointed at Gourry accusingly and said, "It's not my fault.  After Jellyfish got done laying on the cat, the kitchen caught fire!"

"I'm not going to ask," Zelgadis muttered to himself.  He massaged his temples in a vain attempt to dispel a multitude of depraved images involving Lina, Gourry, and a cat.  That would explain why the kitchen was half burnt, he thought.  "What about you?" he demanded of Gourry a moment later, "What happened to yours?"

Gourry and Lina exchanged sheepish grins before the swordsman cleared his throat and embarrassedly muttered, "I… I threw them out the window."

"Yeah," Lina chimed in, nodding in agreement.  "Um, you see, we kind of enjoyed ourselves so much last night that we were both of the opinion that he'd probably never need them again."  Her face redder than her hair by this point, she almost inaudibly muttered, "In hindsight, I guess it wasn't a very good idea, huh?"

Zelgadis just stared at the two of them for a moment, before sighing as a little part of his soul died.  "You know what?  I don't want to hear it anymore."  He quickly yanked his shirt over his head and with much effort and tearing somehow managed to get it over the wings as well.  A moment later, he tossed the tattered thing in Lina's face and growled, "Put that on and get out here!  Honestly, I don't know how the two of you manage to feed yourselves, much less survive everything you've been through!"

Lina quickly did as instructed, grimacing at the odor.  It reeked of gore.  Now at least partially dressed, she looked at Gourry knowingly.  Zelgadis's comment on feeding herself had made her remember something important.  "You hungry?" she asked after a moment of contemplation.

"Starving," Gourry replied with a nod.

"Yeah, me too."  A sudden fit of vile profanity from Zelgadis finally got Lina moving.  "All right!  Sheesh!  You're head's going to pop if you don't calm down, Zel."

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Lina quickly laid out her tools on the nightstand in the guest bedroom where they'd moved Amelia.  She took in the acrobat's pallor with a nervous frown.  She was incredibly pale.  Almost as pale as Zelgadis, she noted, which supported his claim that he hadn't fed upon her.  He would have had a more rosy color had he done so.  On the other hand, as his leathery wings so eloquently demonstrated, he was anything but a run of the mill vampire, so who knew if the normal rules applied?

Zelgadis stared right back at Lina and growled, "What are you looking at?"

"Aw, it's nothing Zel!" Lina said with a totally unconvincing laugh.  Clearing her throat, she quickly turned her attention back to Amelia.  Now came the delicate matter of rousing the younger girl.  It'd take all of the Slayer's considerable skill to draw her out of her delirium.  Taking a deep breath, she bellowed, "Wake up, Amelia!" roughly shaking the girl by the shoulders as she did so.  "Come on, wake up!  I had to get up to come see you, so the least you can do is return the favor!"

His mouth agape, Zelgadis began to question the logic in asking Lina for help.  After all, he could have done that, he thought as he watched the redhead slap Amelia, first forehand and then backhand.

Amelia reluctantly returned to consciousness.  It was hard not to with Lina yelling in her ear like she was.  "I'm awake," she whispered tiredly.  Getting a good look at her surroundings, she wondered if she actually was.  Standing beside her, dressed in Zelgadis's shirt was Lina.  That was surreal enough.  But Zelgadis was what really made her question her perceptions.  He stood in the corner of the room, bare-chested, his ivory flesh almost glowing in the light of a nearby lantern.  Someone had drawn the shades to block out the dawn's light.  He appeared so similar to how Xellos had looked that she momentarily cringed in fear.  Ever the perceptive one, he saw the way she looked at him and tried to make himself disappear into the corner.  Oh, and he had wings, she realized.  How odd.  "I like them," she mumbled wearily, gesturing to the bat like extremities.  She managed a tired smile and added, "Very cool and imposing."

This had the desired effect and Zelgadis quietly chuckled, not so much out humor as relief.  He nodded to Amelia thankfully, immensely grateful that she'd taken to them so well.  On the other hand, she was half asleep, so who knew how she'd react when she really came around?  He shook his head irritably.  He was just being pessimistic again.  She was quite coherent and hadn't screamed at the sight of him.  It was nice.

"Zel told me what happened," Lina said, an uncharacteristically concerned look upon her face.  She dabbed at the wounds on Amelia's neck with a damp cloth causing the younger girl to wince.  "Sorry," she said with a shrug.  "You're really lucky, you know.  Vampires rarely leave victims alive.  You should be dead right now."  She grinned and said, "Jeez, now I'm starting to sound like Zel," turning to give Amelia's savior a playful wink.  As usual, he wasn't amused.  Turning back to the acrobat, she bit her lip thoughtfully before saying, "You'll feel better in a few days, I think.  And you won't wander off into the woods by yourself anymore, right?"

Amelia shook her head drunkenly.  "I didn't go by myself.  A boy.  There was a little boy with me.  He's the reason I went.  We were looking for Sarah."

Lina nodded in agreement, as if everything Amelia was saying made perfect sense.  "We'll talk about it a little later, okay?  You need to rest."  She pulled the blanket up around the acrobat's shoulders, tucking her friend in just as her sister had done for her when she'd been a child.  As she did so, she shot Zelgadis a questioning look that he responded to with a small shake of his head.  There had been no child that he'd seen.  How odd.  "Anyway, don't wander off anymore, okay?  And since I don't really trust you not to…"  Grimacing as if it hurt her to do so, she removed her medallion and after a moment of hesitation, draped it around Amelia's neck arranging it so that the silver dragon was plainly visible atop the blanket.  "This will protect you when you get into trouble again." 

"Do you think it'll come back?" Amelia whispered nervously.

Biting her lip thoughtfully, Lina stole a quick look at Zelgadis and said, "Who knows?  But, it'll protect you from any dark creature that means to do you harm."  She and Zelgadis glared at one another for a moment before the redhead forced a laugh and turned back to Amelia.  She reached down to lovingly touch the silver medallion and almost regretfully muttered, "My sister gave this too me when I was a little girl.  It's all I have left of her."

Amelia gasped in surprise.  Lina had never really spoken of her older sister, but from what she'd been able to glean, she was very important to her.  "I can't take this, Miss Lina," she whispered with a shake of her head.  She reached up to lift the chain from around her neck.

Lina gave Amelia a pained grin and shook her head.  "Keep it.  Sis would have wanted it to go to someone that really needed it."  Feigning an arrogant demeanor, she said, "Besides, who said I was giving it to you, anyway?  I'm just letting you borrow it.  I expect it back when you're done with it."

"Miss Lina," Amelia whispered as she stared down at the medallion in disbelief.  She'd always thought that the redhead had considered her a nuisance, but now…  She leaned forward and hugged Lina as hard as she could.  "Thank you.  I promise that I'll take good care of it."

Mindful of Amelia's injured state, Lina carefully returned her embrace and whispered, "I know you will."  After a moment, she pulled away from the acrobat and, unable to hide a smile, whispered, "You need to rest now.  You've had a rough night.  Try to sleep.  I'll stay with you until morning."

Nodding sleepily, Amelia lay back in the bed and allowed herself to drift back to sleep.  As she did so, the emblem of the Flare Dragon appeared to glimmer in the dim lamplight, seemingly in challenge to anything that would do its new owner harm.

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Next Chapter:  Life moves on at a snail's pace in Gourry's home village, almost as if the events of the outside world were inconsequential.  However, things are rarely as simple as they seem.  Hidden within the day to day routine of the villagers is a dark secret that could cost Gourry and his friends far more than just their lives…

Notes:  A bit of action and gore for all you lovers of violence.  And a bit of a warning that the next few chapters are going to be pretty dry as far as action and bloodletting go.  Hopefully, the mystery will be good enough to keep you interested.  I think it's pretty interesting, if that matters…

I'm a bit disappointed.  I wanted to write out some words to the vampire's song, but nothing I did seemed good enough, so I'll leave it to your imaginations, dear readers.  Any suggestions would be welcome though and I might put something in the rewrite.

Also, I've got a bit of an announcement.  I'm toying with the idea of temporarily moving the updates to a biweekly schedule.  Not permanently, mind you (at least, I hope not), but just long enough to get things under control.  I've got a slew of projects that I'm working on, I've been bedridden for a week with an obnoxious illness that I can't seem to shake, and that little thing called 'life' has been begging for my attention as well.  Hopefully, I'll get back on track sooner rather than later and with the extra week between chapters, I'll be able to make them even better.  So, don't panic if you don't see an update next week, okay?

Reviewer Response:

Oh wow!  So many reviews!

Otaku girl, you made first review!  *offers heart shaped cookie as a reward*  I promise that I didn't look at your stuff and I won't until you tell me it's okay to do so.  I would love to read it though.

Not that I condone that sort of thing, Raven, but if you're going to paint the poor guy blue, remember that skin has to breathe.  I'd recommend a light coat of spray paint, applied in smooth even strokes to achieve the desired level of blueness.  

Sami, I think I addressed everything that you asked in my e-mail, so I'll just say thank you again for the kind words.

Well, a happy (if a bit late) Valentine's Day to you too, Miss Gabriev!  Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Ah ha!  I caught another one!  Thank you very much for your kind words, Ichiban Victory!  Hmm, no nightmares, eh?  I have to up the disturbing quotient, it seems…

Masaki, nice to hear from you again!  The story has sort of moved away from Sylphiel recently, but I expect that she might return near the end.  Oh wow, I am about to get 200 reviews!  How exciting!  Thank you for the congratulations.

Ooh, Dragonet, I'm sorry to say that there's going to be a lot more questions than answers for the next few chapters, but stick with me and I promise they'll all be answered by the story's end.

Hello, Stara!  I know a chapter has to have been pretty good when you take the time to review.  Thank you very much!  You know, I always thought Gourry was in his twenties too, but if his own grandmother says he's seventeen, he must be seventeen, right?  How odd…  No cats were harmed in the writing of this chapter.  Annoyed maybe, but unharmed.

And finally I come to Pogo.  As I explained, the little "inconsistency" that you found was very intentional.  Kudos to you for seeing it though.  And thank you so much for all your dedicated betaing.  The story wouldn't be half as good as it is without you.  *returns cherries*

Until next time, beloved readers!


	32. Darkness in Daylight

The bedroom was dark, illuminated by a single beam of light that fell through the crack between the shutters.  Within the chamber, two women slept comfortably.  The acrobat Amelia lay in the cozy bed, the blankets pulled up to her chin.  Her newly acquired medallion of Ceiphied glinted in the morning light, illuminating her face and revealing that she'd regained a bit of her color as she slept.  She was already on the mend.  The other girl, the infamous Slayer, Lina Inverse, sat in a nearby chair recklessly taking her life into her hands even as she slumbered.  Her feet were propped up on the bedpost at Amelia's feet and she leaned back precariously, balancing on the rear two legs of the chair.  Every time she took a breath, she wobbled on the verge of collapse.  Still, things were comfortable and there was a sense of safety in their surroundings.

A loud click disrupted the regular sound of the girls' breathing as the bedroom door came unlatched.  The portal drifted open slowly, creaking loudly all the while.  Standing in the doorway was a hunched over shadowy figure clutching a staff.  It scanned the room for a moment before seemingly settling its gaze upon Lina.  A smile split its face as it entered the room, its shuffling footsteps punctuated by the quiet tapping of its staff upon the wooden floor.  Reaching the redhead's side, a gnarled hand reached out to grab her shoulder and a voice whispered her name…

Lina's ruby eyes flew open in an instant and she yelped in surprise as she overbalanced in the chair.  A moment later, she'd tumbled to the floor in a heap, her bare legs high in the air.  "Ow," she mumbled, rubbing the back of her head with a wince.

"Oh dear!  Are you all right, young lady?" Lina's mysterious assailant asked as she knelt down beside the Slayer.  As the meager light struck her face, it became obvious that she was Aqua.  She carefully set her staff aside, took the redhead's arm, and tried to pull her to her feet.

"Don't worry about me, Auntie!" Lina said as she quickly righted herself, making sure not to lean on the old woman too much.  She brushed herself off and patted down her outfit in an attempt to make herself look presentable.  Well, as presentable as one could look, given the fact that she was wearing a tattered shirt caked with dried blood and long rips in the back that did little to conceal her exposed rear.  She tried to pinch the back of the shirt closed with an embarrassed grin and asked, "So, how are things today, Auntie?"

"Fine, dear," Aqua answered as she made her way over to the window and flung the shutters open.  The light poured in and she sighed happily.  "Isn't that so much better?  It'd be a shame to stay cooped up in the dark on a day like today."

Lina crossed the room in three quick steps meaning to close the shutters again.  She apologetically explained, "It's nice Auntie, but Amelia's not feeling well and the last thing I need is for her to catch cold."  When she reached the window, she stood there for a moment, staring out into the morning light.  It was warm.  Incredibly warm and on top of that, the trees and flowers were in full bloom.  "What?" she mumbled curiously.

Aqua was hunched over the bed looking over Amelia.  She brushed some of the raven hair out of the young lady's face, earning a small smile for her efforts.  "She'll be fine, I think," she said to Lina.  "Just a bit of rest and some fresh air is all she-"  She stopped short as she turned to see the Slayer staring out the window with a perplexed look on her face.  "Is something wrong, dear?"

"Auntie, what day is today?" Lina quietly asked.  Just as she had yesterday, she was getting the distinct feeling that something was amiss.  Wasn't it early autumn?  She distinctly remembered wishing that she'd had a heavier cloak on the trip from Sairaag.  But now…  A pleasant breeze blew across her face, gently ruffling her hair.  She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sunlight on her face before turning to Aqua in anticipation of an answer.

"Oh, I'm not quite sure, dear," Aqua said with a chuckle.  She hobbled over to stand by the window next to Lina and admitted, "I'm an old lady and I tend to get my dates mixed up a bit.  Besides, we don't really worry about the date around here.  Everyone has their routine that they follow no matter what the day."  She pointed at a middle-aged man that had just exited a nearby house.  "See?  There's Mister Einberg, off to work on his woodcarvings.  Oh, and over there…"

Lina had stopped listening when she caught sight of a man with long blond hair entering the forest with an ax slung over his shoulder.  Gourry.  "Where's he going?" she asked, nodding in the swordsman's direction.

"I expect he's off to gather some lumber to fix the kitchen, young lady."  Aqua smiled when she saw Lina blush in embarrassment.  "Is something wrong?" she asked, a knowing look on her face.

"No!" Lina yelped guiltily.  "I mean, no, it's nothing really.  A couple things happened last night, a lot of things really, rooms were burnt and cats were annoyed and, well…"  She ran her hands through her hair and sighed in exasperation.  "I'm still trying to figure out what happened.  I do know that I need to help Gourry, because it's partially my fault."

"That's men's work, dear," Aqua explained.  "Gourry can do it himself.  Even as a boy, he was quite the talented carpenter and I'm sure that spending a few years on the road hasn't changed that."  She took Lina's hand and led her towards the door.  "Now, let's get you into some decent clothes and get into the kitchen.  Unless my eyes deceive me, I believe that you're about the same size as my daughter.  I think you'd look just lovely in blue.  Do you like blue?"

"Yeah, it's great," Lina said absentmindedly.  She was more concerned with what Aqua had said earlier.  "Auntie, did you say something about the kitchen?"

"Of course," Aqua said with a nod.  "Breakfast isn't going to make itself, you know.  And while we're doing that, you can tell me what happened last night, if you're so inclined."

Lina found herself feeling a little ill.  Although the mention of breakfast had instantly gotten a positive reaction from her stomach, the notion that she was going to have to cook it was a little unnerving.  She'd never cooked before!  Sis had always done that when they were younger and afterwards, well, there weren't really many kitchens on the road, were there?  That was stressful enough, but Auntie was also asking about what had happened last night.  This was too much to deal with.  "It's a really, really long story, Auntie.  Long and really complicated," she said, hoping to dissuade the older woman from asking.

Aqua's face lit up and she chuckled.  "Oh good!  I'd be ever so disappointed if there were a simple explanation.  Long stories are the most interesting ones, I find.  Now, maybe you could start by explaining why there's a young man with an eye patch sleeping in my tulip bed?"  She frowned ruefully as she continued.  "I would have asked him to move, but he looked so comfortable.  It's a shame really.  Those flowers just bloomed too…"

With that, they moved out of earshot of Amelia, who had been listening intently once she'd realized that there'd been voices.  She sighed in disappointment.  She'd wanted to ask Lina something, but didn't want to do so in front of the old woman.  Grimacing in annoyance, she reached up to scratch the marks on her neck, picking away the newly formed scabs.  Fresh blood trickled down her throat and she quickly wiped it away on her sleeve.  The wounds were so bothersome and there was so much she had to know and, well… she really hoped that Lina came back soon.

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As the sun rose, so did the residents of the small hamlet.  There were no fields to work as the trees kept out the majority of the light, so their well-being was based almost solely on the bounty of the forest.  One by one, people trickled out of their homes, dispersing into woods and soon the area was filled with the sounds of production.  Cheerful songs sung by gatherers, the occasional bellowed epithet when a hunter missed a sure shot, and the steady sound of axes falling.

Most of the lumberjacks worked in teams of three or sometimes four.  Gourry was the exception to the rule.  He worked alone with a steady rhythm to fell a tree that was a good three feet in diameter.  Far more wood than he would need, but he'd be able to pick out the choice pieces of lumber this way.  He'd been steadily hewing away at the trunk for forty-five minutes now and it'd still be a good while before he even got it down.  If he used the Sword of Light, he could have had the job done in two or three slices, but that wasn't right.  He would have been cheating himself had he done that.  There was a joy in honest work that one couldn't find anywhere else and it gave him time to think.

Pausing to take a quick breather, Gourry removed his shirt and wiped his sweat soaked face with it.  He thought that the weather was quite odd.  Here it was early autumn and as warm and sunny as a spring day.  The area had never really been known for mild winters and the temperature usually dropped fairly quickly after August.  Oh well, there were exceptions to every rule, he supposed.  

The swordsman was suddenly on edge when he heard the sound of a twig snap behind him.  One attacker, it seemed.  And a clumsy one at that.  It'd be better to draw his opponent in and the best way to do that was to feign ignorance.  He took a deep breath and made as if to continue his chopping.  When he raised the ax overhead, he heard the sound of hurried steps thundering towards him.  He grinned knowingly, recognizing the impatience in that stride.  His attacker was anything but subtle.  Stepping to the side, he lost a bit of hair as a wooden sword went sailing downward where he'd been standing a moment before.  Without missing a beat, he reached down and grabbed his attacker's leg, using his own momentum to flip him forward.

The young man landed flat on his back with a loud grunt, the wind driven forcefully out of his lungs.  His sword, he thought as he struggled to catch his breath.  Where was his sword?  His question was answered when Gourry stepped forward and placed a foot on his chest to keep him immobile.  He then found himself looking at the point of the blade that was mere inches from his face.  Still gasping for air, he grinned mischievously and threw the swordsman a wave.  "Hey, Gourry."

Gourry returned the young man's smile and said, "Hi, Leon."  He then removed his foot from the young man's chest and offered him a hand to his feet.

"Hey, got it in one, Gabriev!" Leon said with a laugh.  "I knew even you couldn't forget me."  He gratefully accepted the offered hand and his sword a moment later.  "Thanks."  He staggered over to lean against a nearby tree before looking at Gourry again.  He whistled, quite impressed with what he was seeing.  "By Ceiphied, Gourry!  I knew I should have gone with you when you left with that wandering swordsman.  That flipping thing you just did was so cool!  And did the old man put you on the rack as part of your training or what?  You're like eight feet tall or something!"

Shaking his head confusedly, Gourry said, "No, only a little over six feet," completely missing the fact that Leon had been exaggerating.  He added, "I just grew up, I guess."  Which was apparently something that his friend had neglected to do.  When they'd both been boys, Leon had been the tall one, a full three inches taller than Gourry in fact.  Now, the situation had been dramatically reversed.  He could easily see the top of Leon's head as he looked down at him.  His friend had changed with the years, but not nearly as much as he'd expected.

"Something wrong, Gourry?" Leon asked, absentmindedly brushing his dark hair out of his face.

"It's just that, well, you're so… short," Gourry replied with a shrug.  There was really no other way to put it.

"Hey, I'm not THAT short," Leon grumbled defensively, stretching himself to his full height of five feet and eight inches.  "And it's not like we're competing or anything.  Besides, I've still got a couple years to catch up to you, right?  So, you'd better watch out, buddy."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Gourry said with a chuckle.  Even as he laughed, he was pondering his friend's words.  He'd left the village ten years ago and Leon was thirteen then, so by his calculations, which might be off of course, he had to be twenty-three.  Didn't most people stop growing by the time they hit twenty or so?  Better not to mention it though.  Apparently, his friend was a little sensitive about the whole height issue.  "So, what are you doing out here anyway?" he asked, hefting his ax as he turned back to work.

"Well, I wanted to see you, obviously.  I wasn't there for the party yesterday, so…"  Leon shrugged and picked his ax up from the forest floor.  "Better late than never, right?"  He eyed the tree curiously before pointing to a small clearing.  "You want it over there, I guess?"  Upon receiving confirmation from his friend, he nodded and began to chop at the tree as well.  "So, I guess you've been busy.  Too busy to write your buddy?"

"Well, kind of," Gourry said with a noncommittal shrug.  He hadn't really been busy so much as he was rushed.  Everything happened so quickly in the city and he'd hardly been able to keep up, let alone write home.  "I stayed pretty active.  What about you?"

"Oh, you know.  The same old stuff on different days.  Still helping dad with the whole carpentry thing."  Leon looked at the Sword of Light enviously.  "You any good with that?" he asked.

"I guess."

"Cool."  Leon grinned and asked, "Kill anyone yet?"

Gourry ceased his chopping for a moment in favor of giving Leon a cool look.  "A few," he quietly admitted before resuming his work.  "It's not really what you think though."

"How's that?"

"I don't like doing it.  Killing I mean.  If I had my way, nobody would ever have to die."

Leon laughed out loud, irking his blond companion.  "That's pretty rich, Gourry!  What did you think you were learning?  Did you think that Rodimus was going to teach you knitting or something?  It's swordplay.  He was teaching you to kill people in the most efficient way possible."

"It's not like that," Gourry patiently explained.  "I learned my lessons because I didn't want to kill people.  I did it because…"  He sighed and shook his head.  "Never mind.  I don't think you'd understand."

Unnoticed by either of the men, Lina peeked out from behind a nearby bush.  She'd been on her way to call Gourry for breakfast, an immensely satisfied smile on her face.  She'd made him food, real food, with her own hands.  She sniffed, trying to suppress a sneeze and patted her face sending up a cloud of flour.  Making breakfast hadn't been easy, even with Auntie's tutelage, but she was sure that she'd have it down in no time.  Maybe next time she'd actually ask Auntie if she could handle some of the food instead of just boiling the water for the coffee.  She shook her head irritably.  She was missing the conversation!  She sat down and listened, curious to hear Gourry's reasons for fighting.  There was so much she didn't know about him.  She'd have to rectify that.

Apparently, Leon was curious as well.  "Go ahead, Gourry.  Try me.  I can usually make sense of the weirdness that you come up with sometimes."

Gourry sighed and said, "I did it to protect people, Leon.  I was a mercenary for a few years after I left Rodimus and hated every moment of it.  All I did was fight in the name of profit.  That's why I settled down in Sairaag and joined the guards.  Because I wanted to help people."

"Oh, and I'm sure you didn't have to kill anyone while you were in the SCG, right?" Leon sarcastically asked.

"I did, but that's not the point.  I was doing it for a good reason.  That's what really mattered."  Gourry thought back to how Gaav had tried to kill him.  He hadn't really understood why, but apparently even helping the innocent wasn't quite as easy as he'd once thought if the Sairaag City Guards had been after Lina.  She hadn't done anything wrong, he was sure of it.  A warm smile crossed his face at the thought of the Slayer.

Noting Gourry's smile, Leon grinned knowingly and said, "Oh, I see how it is.  You've got the whole 'knight in shining armor' thing going on, is that it?"  He shook his head and muttered, "Gourry, you big dope," in a joking way.  "Well, what's she like?"

"Who?" Gourry asked curiously.

"Your damsel in distress, dummy!  I know you're not smiling like that because you're helping just anyone.  So, come on, give up the goods.  Is she pretty?"

Lina listened with bated breath in anticipation of Gourry's next words.  How would he describe her?

Gourry scratched his head thoughtfully before nodding as he decided on a description.  "Well, she's kind of skinny, almost bony really.  She's got a little nose and big red eyes…"

"What's wrong with my nose?" Lina whispered to herself in a hurt tone, crossing her eyes in an attempt to look at it.  "And bony?  I'm willowy.  I keep telling people that and nobody listens."  Well, things hadn't started out well, but Gourry was bound to say something positive soon, right?  He'd told her that he loved her, after all.

"On top of that, she's got this wild red hair that sticks out in every direction…" Gourry added, gesturing wildly to show just how wild said hair was.

Well, maybe she had been neglecting the brush lately, Lina begrudgingly admitted as she absentmindedly patted down her crimson and silver locks.  It wasn't really her fault though.  Didn't Gourry understand that being who she was meant not drawing attention to oneself?  If she dolled herself up too much, she'd be a magnet for every vampire for miles on end.  "C'mon, Gourry," she quietly pleaded, "say something nice about me.  I know you can."  She crossed her fingers and said a quick prayer for a small compliment.  The third time was the charm, right?

"…incredibly flat chested, with a temper like a rabid hyena."

"That's strike three," Lina whispered, her voice and expression frighteningly neutral.  "Time to make you a dead jellyfish."  She started to stand, intending to leap out from behind the bush and throttle the life out of Gourry when she realized that something was missing.  A moment later, it hit her.  Why weren't they chopping anymore?

"Hey, there's a tree falling!" the two woodsmen called out in unison as the trunk gave way with a loud crack.  They both laughed as it fell to the ground, obliterating a bush that seemed to scream like a woman just before impact.

"You know, Gourry.  A 'timber' would have sufficed."

"I like my way better.  There's no confusion."  Gourry said as he set about chopping the largest limbs from the trunk.  "By the way, did you hear something just now?  It sounded like a screech."

"Probably a bird or something," Leon said with a shrug.  "Anyway, I'm sorry to hear about your problem."

"What problem?" Gourry asked curiously.  He had problems?  

Snorting in amusement at Gourry's bewilderment, Leon shook his head and said, "What, are you in denial or something?  I'm sorry that you're stuck with the carrot topped, flaming scarecrow bitch of doom, that's what.  Were you that hard up for a date, Gourry?"

Gourry stared at Leon incredulously.  That incredulity was quickly turning to anger when he realized what his friend had called Lina.  A few moments ago, he'd actually been worried that Leon might actually try to steal Lina away from him when he heard the description of her looks.  Didn't his friend understand that he'd just described what he loved about her?  Her cute little nose and sparkling ruby eyes.  That wild red and silver hair that looked as if it had a life of its own.  Her small form that made her look almost helpless and made him feel needed, even though deep down he knew she could take care of herself.  And her strong willed personality and quick wits that kept him focused… well, more focused than usual.  Couldn't Leon understand how amazing she was?  "You take that back right now," he quietly said, a hint of the fury welling up within him evident in his voice.  He balled his hands into fists so tight that his knuckles were white.  

Luckily, or not so luckily depending on how one looked at it, the potential violence between the two old friends was quickly diffused by the flaming scarecrow bitch of doom in question, popping out of the uppermost branches of the fallen tree.  A moment later, twin screams pierced the air before they were abruptly silenced.  Everyone that had heard looked for the source of the sound curiously.  They'd sounded almost masculine, but theoretically, only women could express that much terror in shrieks.

A few moments later, Lina was forcefully dragging a bruised and battered Gourry back to the village by his arm.  A horrible chill seemed to fill the air and the villagers watched the couple pass as if sensing that something was quite amiss.  "What are they looking at?" she grumbled angrily.  She snarled at a small mutt that was staring at her causing it to flee in terror.  Seizing Gourry by his throat, she shook him until he saw stars and growled, "I go out of my way to cook you some breakfast and you repay me by gossiping about me and calling me names behind my back?"  Struggling not to cry, she growled, "How could you?!"

Gourry grimaced guiltily at that last bit.  Apparently, he'd really hurt her feelings this time.  "Lina, it wasn't quite like that."  Thinking quickly he muttered, "Thanks for making me breakfast."  That would help a little right?  She was upset because he didn't appreciate breakfast, but he hadn't even known that she was doing it, so this wasn't really his fault.  Thinking about food made him think about what Lina had done to Leon.  It didn't really seem fair.  She hadn't even made him breakfast and he still got punished.  "Did you have to do that to Leon?  I really don't think tree bark is supposed to be edible."

Flashing Gourry a terrifying look, Lina hissed, "He ate it, didn't he?!" punctuating every word with a sharp jab of her index finger in his chest.  "You should be more worried about what you're about to eat," she growled, her fingers curling into a tight fist.

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Amelia was wandering in a dream world of sad singing and purple haired priests when she was awoken by the sound of the bedroom door slamming.  Drowsily, she opened her eyes to see Lina storming across the room carrying a steaming bowl.  Judging by the expression on the redhead's face, this might not be the best time to ask, but she had to know what was wrong with her.  The marks on her throat itched incessantly and… well, her mind raced with the possibilities.  "Miss Lina, I'm glad you're here."

Lina all but snarled in response and produced a fork from a pocket in the apron that she'd worn while cooking.  Apparently, she'd been so furious that she hadn't even noticed that she hadn't grabbed a spoon.  "Eat," she commanded flatly, jamming the fork into the porridge and producing a heaping pile of the incredibly hot paste.

"Miss Lina, I'm not very-" Amelia tried to protest just before the fork was shoved forcefully into her mouth.  Her eyes bugged out in a comical expression of pain and shock as she almost choked on the molten material.  She didn't know what was worse, the third degree burns or the fact that Lina had almost skewered her tongue.  Swallowing quickly in an attempt to minimize the damage, she forced a grateful smile and quickly mumbled, "Thanks for the food, Miss Lina, but I'm really not-"  She uttered a noise somewhere between a cough and a groan as another forkful was shoved into her mouth.  She hastily forced this down as well.

"Not hungry?" Lina muttered quizzically, feeling her own stomach rumbling.  "Nonsense.  Everyone's hungry.  You, Zel, and the stupid, heartless, bait for brains jellyfish!  I just ate enough eggs to populate an entire country of chickens and I'm still hungry."  She laughed shrilly as she wildly stirred the porridge with the fork, flinging small clumps of it about the room.  "Everyone's hungry, Amelia!"

Heartless bait for brains?  Mister Gourry, heartless?  For the moment, Amelia forgot her own problems in favor of pondering this new mystery.  "Miss Lina," she whispered, desperately wishing that she had the strength to get out of bed, away from her infuriated nurse.  "Did something happen between you and Mister Gourry?"

Lina set the bowl down on the bedside table, her ire suddenly gone.  Instead it was replaced with an entirely unconvincing smile.  She laughed and winked at Amelia.  "I really don't know what you're talking about.  You must still be delirious, I guess.  'Something between me and Gourry.'  It's stupid, Amelia."

"Well… do you want to talk about it?" Amelia cautiously asked.  Noting the sudden hostility in Lina's expression, she quickly corrected herself.  "Of course, I mean do you want to talk about what didn't happen?"  

"He's suck a jerk," Lina mumbled angrily.  "I do all this nice stuff for him and he calls me names behind my back."  She proclaimed, "I cooked him breakfast, Amelia!" as if it were an incredibly big deal.  For her, it had been.  She'd never cooked for anyone before and even if it was just boiling water for coffee, she was boiling Gourry's water, damn it!

"Oh, it's okay, Miss Lina," Amelia said, patting her friend's hand sympathetically.  "I'm sure he didn't mean any of the things he said.  You know how Gourry is.  He's too nice to lie."  Her burned mouth still incredibly fresh on her mind, she hesitantly asked, "Um, by the way, you didn't try to feed him, did you?"  With the way the Slayer had treated her; it was a testament to her basic kindness that she hadn't started flinging insults herself.

"No…  What's that have to do with anything?"

Tittering nervously, Amelia quickly stammered, "Oh, nothing!"  She cleared her throat and hesitantly said, "Mister Zelgadis told me that you were… you know, with Gourry when he found you this morning.  Does that mean that you…?"  The color of Lina's face was answer enough and she clapped her hands happily.  "Oh, I knew it!  I mean, I didn't 'know' it, but I knew it!"  Her cerulean eyes sparkled with joy as she whispered, "It's true love isn't it?  I could tell the first time I saw the two of you together.  Back when Martina told your fortune.  Do you remember that?"

"Can we not talk about that?" Lina muttered nervously.  "And do you have to call it 'true love'?  It's not like that.  He called me a short-tempered rabid hyena this morning.  Does that sound like love to you?"

"Well, no," Amelia begrudgingly admitted.  Then, before she could stop herself, an incredibly dangerous statement slipped out.  "But I think I know why he said it."  She held up her hands defensively as Lina dangled the bowl of hot food over her head.  "I'm injured!" she yelped, frantically pointing at the marks on her throat.

Lina's look quickly changed from fury to concern and she quickly laid the bowl aside.  "Jeez, Amelia, you're bleeding again."  She grabbed a cotton swab and began to dab alcohol on the acrobat's throat, eliciting a hiss of pain.  "Don't you dare whine," she growled.  "You've been scratching them, haven't you?"  Noting the guilty look on Amelia's face she nodded knowingly.  "I knew it.  You're never going to get better if you don't stop picking at them."

Amelia nodded and swallowed nervously.  She'd almost forgotten what she wanted to ask when she heard the happy news about Miss Lina and Gourry.  But now, with Lina ministering her wounds, her questions couldn't be ignored.   "Miss Lina, am I going to die?"  Deciding that she wasn't quite ready to hear the answer, she quickly said, "Because, I'd heard stories that when people get bitten by a vampire they die and then turn into vampires themselves.  I'd always thought they were stories, but now I know that they're real and… and…"  She sighed shakily and pointed at her throat.  "It's just that they itch so much and I know something terrible is happening to me.  The sun's so bright and I feel so thirsty.  Vampires are always thirsty and they hate the light, right?"  She shuddered fearfully and quietly confessed, "Miss Lina, I don't want to turn into a monster.  I don't want to eat people.  And I really don't want you to kill me."

Lina stared at Amelia for a long moment, an inscrutable expression on her face.  Finally she sighed and said, "Amelia, the only reason I'd ever kill you is because you drive me up the wall.  As for the symptoms you described, well…"  She shook her head regretfully and said, "They do sound pretty serious.  I'll do what I can with them though."  She poured a glass of water from a nearby pitcher and thrust it into the acrobat's hand.  "That should take care of that horrible thirst you're feeling," she said sarcastically.  She stood and walked over to the window where she drew the curtains, blocking out most of the light.  "And that should help your little aversion to light.  As for the itching, it'll go away in a few days if you don't scratch it."

"Does that mean I'm not going to die?" Amelia asked hopefully, staring into her glass.  She was suddenly feeling incredibly embarrassed by her little display and found herself quite unable to look at Lina.

"No, you're not going to die, silly," Lina said, not unkindly.  She sat down by the bed and, unable to hide a warm smile, reached out to squeeze Amelia's hand reassuringly.  "You're going to be fine.  If you were going to turn into a vampire you wouldn't be here to worry about it.  Vampires spread by killing their victims.  Three nights after their deaths, they rise from their graves as new vampires.  Besides," she said with a quiet chuckle, "I don't think you have it in you to be a vampire.  You'd probably be asking permission before you bit anyone."

Amelia laughed a little at that.  She started to reach up to scratch her throat, but thought better of it when she saw Lina giving her a reproachful look.  "Sorry.  It's just that I was so scared and I was sure that you were going to stab me with a silver stake…"

"Wooden," Lina automatically corrected.  "You use wood on vampires, preferably oak as it holds up better on impact.  Silver's for lycanthropes."  

"Lyca- Lyco- What'd you say, Miss Lina?"

"Lycanthropes," Lina repeated, more slowly this time.  "Werewolves.  Or foxes in the case of your annoying little sidekick."

"Why's silver hurt them?" Amelia asked curiously.  "And the wooden stake?  Why's that work on vampires?"

"One question at a time," Lina said.  "First off, nobody is really sure why silver hurts werewolves.  Good thing it does though.  Not much else will stop them or even slow them down.  You pretty much have to turn them into mulch if you don't have silver."  She nodded when she saw the disbelieving look on Amelia's face.  "It's true.  I had to grind one up in some gears once.  It was quite a hassle explaining why there was ground up flesh and fur in the Atlas City clock tower and they almost made me pay to have it repaired.  Getting back to the original question, my personal theory is that in addition to giving you an irresistible urge to howl at the moon for three nights a month, the werewolf curse carries a severe allergy to silver."

"Like how some people sneeze around flowers and things like that?" Amelia eagerly asked.  She'd been totally sucked in by Lina's story and her explanation of werewolves.  All she could think about was how cool the Slayer was and how much she wanted to be like her.

"Well, not exactly," Lina explained, uncomfortably trying to ignore the starry eyed look that Amelia was giving her.  "More like a bee sting.  Some people barely notice them.  Some people die from them.  Silver causes werewolves to react pretty violently while normal people aren't bothered by it."

"I'll bet that's exactly right, Miss Lina!  You're so smart!"

Grinning embarrassedly, Lina said, "I'm not really that smart.  Almost everything I know I learned from Sis.  She's the genius when it comes to this stuff.  All I do is come up with half baked theories about allergies."  She sighed and muttered, "Sis was always the smart one.  She never made mistakes.  Except for the whole Rezo thing, but I still haven't figured that out.  Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about me.  I want you to tell me what happened to you last night."

"Didn't you say that Mister Zelgadis told you everything?"

"Amelia, are you listening?  I said I wanted you to tell me.  In your words."  Lina neglected to add that she was beginning to think that she didn't trust Zelgadis as far as she could throw him.  "Well, go on."  She picked up the bowl of porridge and began to eat, deciding that since Amelia wasn't hungry, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste.

Taking a deep breath, Amelia nodded and said, "Well, I guess it all started when I met Marco."

"Marfo?" Lina muttered, spraying food on the sheets and the acrobat.  Grinning apologetically, she wiped her face and said, "Sorry about that.  Marco's the kid you were mumbling about earlier, right?  Are you sure you didn't imagine him?  Nobody else saw a boy."

Amelia grimaced and flicked a bit of porridge from her cheek.  "I know what I saw.  When we were all at that party yesterday…"

************************************************************************

"Told ye somethin' was up, boss," Jillas explained.  There was no condescension in his tone; it was just the simple statement of a fact.  He respected Zelgadis too much to think himself superior.

Zelgadis sighed and muttered something dark under his breath.  He was already starting to miss the broken jaw.  "I know you did," he begrudgingly admitted.  "Can we discuss this later?  I want to get this done before the sun gets too high.  He pulled his hood up across his features and continued to scour the ground.

They'd returned to the scene of Amelia's attack, hoping to find some clue as to her assailant's identity.  Sadly, any physical remains of the vampire had burned off with the fog in the morning sun.  Blood had evaporated; hair and more substantial flesh turned to traces of ash that had since then been scattered by the breeze.  Who had done it?  More importantly, why?  Was Amelia the target of one of Rezo's assassins?  The High Priest didn't tolerate the existence of vampires, so the odds of it being his servant were slim.

Which brought up the possibility of it being a coincidence.  It was hard to believe, but looking more feasible by the minute.  Nobody knew better than Zelgadis that vampires were attracted to virtuous young women.  It was an instinct.  Oh, they'd take the town drunk, should nothing better be readily available, or in his case, the random animal, but there was something tantalizing in the blood of the innocent that drew them like moths to a flame.  Amelia would certainly make an enticing target.  

Zelgadis was quite fond of the acrobat himself.  He'd refrained from getting to close to her because he'd recognized the attraction between them.  It wasn't anything so foolish as shyness or suspicion that kept him away from her.  Despite the fact that he was suspicious by nature, he trusted her with his life and should he want to, he'd explain his feelings for her in a heartbeat.  That wasn't the problem.  The problem came when he considered his attraction to her.  Who really wanted Amelia, Zelgadis the man or Zelgadis the predator?

"'Ey boss!" Jillas called, startling Zelgadis out of his thoughts.  "Take a look at this!"  He excitedly beckoned his master over while pointing at something on the ground.  White scraps of cloth had become caught in some brambles.  It was a wonder that they hadn't burned when the blood combusted.  Admittedly, it wasn't much, but at least the trek back out into the woods hadn't been a total waste.

Zelgadis knelt next to Jillas with a weary sigh.  Aside from a few moments this morning after seeing that Amelia was okay, he hadn't slept a bit since arriving at the village.  He absentmindedly fished a bit of the fabric from the forest floor and looked it over.  At least he had proof that something had happened last night.  The whole incident had a dreamlike quality to it and he was beginning to doubt what he'd seen.  "It's not silk," he muttered curiously.  "Nor any other type of fine material."  It was roughly spun cotton, the stuff that the clothing of a commoner would be made of, an anomaly as far as vampires were concerned.  They were notorious for wanting the finest things in life even after death.  Many of them considered themselves superior beings, worthy of only the best that money could buy.  

Snorting in amusement, Zelgadis released his hold on the scrap of cloth and watched it drift lazily away on the breeze.  Who'd ever heard of a humble vampire?  He had to admit, it gave credence to Amelia's theory about Xellos.  A priest, an honest one in any case, wouldn't give much thought to useless finery.  And Xellos was about as noble as one got, if Lina's story about him was to be believed.  But, to go from an angel to a devil, well, that was something to think about.  "It's strange," he mused aloud.

"Wha's that, boss?" Jillas chimed in, eager to lend his considerable brainpower to the mystery perplexing his master.

"Well, Jillas," Zelgadis said, fixing his companion with a contemplative look, "I was just considering the possible identity of Amelia's assailant.  It may have been an agent of Rezo, but that begs the question of why he'd specifically target her and, more importantly, if he knows where we are.  This in turn makes me wonder, if Rezo does know where we are, why haven't we been killed yet?  Why only try to kill Amelia?  Although he seemed to be quite upset with her for some reason I have yet to ascertain, I can't see him trying to kill her before Lina or myself.  Theoretically, we're both greater threats than Amelia."

Noting the smile on Jillas's face had given way to confusion, Zelgadis smirked and continued.  "Of course, the attack may not be related to Rezo at all.  Maybe it was just a random vampire.  But that raises all sorts of new questions.  Why this far from an urban area?  Why in a small village?  Disappearances are far more conspicuous in a rural environment such as this.  Why then, would a vampire take up residence around here?"

"And then there's the question of what Amelia saw.  She said she saw Xellos."  Zelgadis's lip curled back in a snarl as if the priest's name tasted bitter.  "Now, as we both know, Xellos is dead.  That might be little more than an inconvenience to something like him, but he can't come back on a whim.  If we take what Amelia said about what Lina said about what Gourry said at face value, which we shouldn't, we have to consider that Xellos isn't following the divine laws established for Ceiphied's servants.  Angels aren't allowed to act directly.  They're only allowed to inspire and direct humanity's actions.  On top of that, they're given specific tasks.  If I had to guess, I'd wager that Xellos was charged with the mission of thwarting Hellmaster's plan.  Nothing else that's happened recently seems to warrant the direct intervention of a servant of Ceiphied.  However, now that his task is done, he's gone and I wouldn't expect him back for another thousand years."

Jillas cleared his throat and hesitantly interjected, "Uh, boss, ye totally lost me."

"All this happened before your arrival." Zelgadis said with a dismissive wave.  "This is mostly for my benefit, but if you do have an idea, feel free to jump in.  Anyway, if Xellos is back, and that's a big 'if', it means that he's not done or I'm totally mistaken about his purpose…"  A sudden irritating tugging on his cape drew him out of his thoughts.  "Jillas, I've told you that I hate it when you do that."

"Sorry 'bout that, boss.  'Ave a look at that, though."  Jillas pointed to a young boy that was peeking out from behind a nearby tree.  How he'd gotten so close without either of them noticing was a mystery.

Marco gawked at the two strangers, his jaw almost hitting the ground.  Standing before him was a man with wings conversing with an honest to goodness talking fox.  There was something you didn't see every day.  Seeing that they were staring at him, he smiled nervously and said, "Um, have you guys seen Sarah?  She was supposed to meet me here…"  His voice trailed off at the end when he realized that he was talking to a fox and a bat.  It was more than a little disconcerting.

Zelgadis and Jillas exchanged looks of recognition.  Sarah.  It was the name Amelia had mentioned.  Well, this certainly put an interesting spin on things.  It pretty much put to rest the notion that she might have hallucinated the whole thing.

"You're Marco, right?" Zelgadis asked, taking a step towards the boy.

Marco nodded reluctantly and took a step back; trying to keep what he hoped was a safe distance between himself and Zelgadis.  He'd never seen a man with wings before and the cloak draped about him was kind of creepy too.  On top of that, he knew Marco's name while the boy had absolutely no idea who he was.  All in all, he didn't like Zel a bit.  Still, there was Sarah to think about.  Mustering his courage, he stammered, "H-Have you seen her?  Sarah, I mean?"

"We can talk about that later," Zelgadis said gruffly.  "Right now, I want to know what you were doing last night.  Where were you taking Amelia?  Why'd you leave when she was attacked?"  

"Boss, ye might wan' ta' take it easy on th' kid," Jillas meekly suggested when he saw Zelgadis becoming agitated at Marco's hesitation.  When the boss got agitated, he got big.  Big and scary.  And that wasn't really what was needed here, in his ever so humble opinion.  "It's no' good scarin' 'im ye know."

Zelgadis sighed in irritation and snapped, "I'm not scaring him, I'm just asking him simple questions!" causing his luckless servant to cower in fear.  Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, he turned back to Marco and said, "Amelia.  I just want to know what happened to Amelia, okay?  What did you see?"

Marco was on the verge of panic.  Now the bat guy wasn't even making sense.  Attack?  Last night?  Amelia?  He didn't know any of it.  "I don't know anyone named Amelia," he said apologetically as if he were somehow at fault in the situation.  "I just want to find Sarah."

Zelgadis stared at Marco coolly for several seconds, seemingly trying to look through him.  Finally he shook his head and said, "You're lying."  He stiffened up slightly as something dark stirred within the recesses of his psyche.  "I won't hurt him.  Not for your amusement," he mumbled angrily in answer to a voice only he could hear.  Taking another step towards the boy, he put his hands up, indicating that he meant no harm.  "Listen, I just want to ask-"

Apparently, Marco had heard enough.  Between the weird looking fox guy and the guy with wings talking to himself, he decided that it'd be best to make a quick exit.  He turned and ducked into a nearby bush.  Erupting from the other side in an explosion of leaves, he ran as fast as his legs would carry him, wishing that he'd just left well enough alone.  He'd known that they were weird when he'd first laid eyes on them.

"Wait!" Zelgadis yelled, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.  Whatever was within him was goading him on, urging him to lose control.  He dropped to one knee and clutched his head, groaning in pain as whatever it was within him wreaked havoc in his skull.  He looked up long enough to indicate that Jillas should pursue the boy.  "Catch him," he hissed.  "Don't hurt him though.  There's no reason for it."  He said this as if Jillas could hear the dark suggestions being whispered within his head.

Jillas looked into Zelgadis's eyes for a moment before shuddering and running off to do as he'd been commanded.  There'd been something cruel in the boss's gaze that he'd never seen before and the sooner he got away from that, the better.

************************************************************************

"What happened then?" Lina quietly asked.  Amelia had just gotten to the part of the story where her attacker made his appearance.  This was what was important.  Never mind Marco for the moment.  He may have been a figment of Amelia's imagination or a dream.  Maybe she was a sleepwalker or something.

"Well, he just appeared in front of me.  He was like a ghost, Miss Lina.  One second I was with Marco, the next he was gone and Xell-"  She quickly stopped herself, wondering if it was a good idea to say such things about the man that Lina had considered to be a father figure of sorts.  "That man in the cloak, I mean, appeared." she finished weakly.  

"How do you know that it was a man?"  Lina poured herself a glass of water to wash down her breakfast.  She was still hungry, but that could wait for the moment.  "What did he look like?"

Xellos fresh on her mind, Amelia shook her head and said, "I just know it was a man.  He was taller than me or I think he was.  I'm pretty sure he was crouching and his body was like…"  Unable to think of the right word to describe it, she stretched her arms wide to indicate the size of the cloaked man.  His cape had seemingly moved of its own volition, constantly flapping in a breeze that hadn't been there, making it hard to tell how big he was.  "He was strong too," she whispered with a shudder, recalling how tightly he'd held her.  "I think he said my name."

Lina raised an eyebrow.  Now they were getting somewhere.  "So, you think he knew you, then?  Did you get to see his face?"  She leaned forward a bit in anticipation of her friend's answer.

"Y-Yes," Amelia hesitantly admitted.  There was nothing for it then, she realized.  She'd have to tell Miss Lina the truth.  "I saw his face.  It was kind of dark, but I could tell it was a nice face.  It was so white it almost looked fake.  Does that make sense?"

"Almost like a doll, right?" Lina said with a nod.  It was a common perception that she'd seen before.  The transformation between human and vampire seemed to accent a person's most prominent features.  Beautiful people looked almost unearthly and the ugly, well, the ugly ended up looking like Lupin.  

"A doll," Amelia repeated thoughtfully.  "Yeah, that sounds about right.  He had purple hair, about shoulder length," she said, stealing a quick glance at Lina's face.  The redhead's expression was unreadable.  "And he had purple eyes that were kind of hidden by his bangs.  I saw them though.  They had a tricky look to them, just like his smile."  Taking a deep breath, she said, "I think it was Xellos."

************************************************************************

Amelia wasn't the only one with Xellos on her mind at that moment.  Zelgadis was also thinking about the mysterious priest as he played catch-up in his pursuit of the young boy.  To be specific, he was considering the similarities between the priest and Marco.  

Just like Xellos, Marco had an almost uncanny ability to disappear at a whim, darting behind one tree only to emerge from behind a bush a dozen feet away.  Apparently, the boy knew the forest like the back of his hand.  It was quite perplexing to say the least.  Even Jillas seemed more than a little confused by his erratic movements, often veering to the left only to have his quarry appear on the right.

"Tricky lit'l fella, ain't 'e, boss?" Jillas said between pants.  He stumbled over a large root concealed beneath some leaves and barely caught himself.  He did manage to lose another few feet to Marco, however.  "Neva' seen a kid tha' foxy," he grumbled as he watched the boy leap over a small puddle of water while simultaneously ducking a low hanging branch.

Zelgadis grunted in agreement, not wanting to waste his breath on a more elaborate answer.  By Ceiphied the boy was fast!  He'd thought himself quicker than most, but the boy had the environmental advantage.  His wings kept getting snared on innumerable branches as he ran.  It seemed that Marco was fairly clever as well, he begrudgingly admitted as he watched the boy duck into a tangle of bushes far too dense for him to follow.  He'd have to circle around and hope that he didn't get lost on the other side.  "Jillas!" he yelled, pointing to the brush, indicating that the fox should pursue.

Jillas nodded and easily made it into the bushes given the fact that he was on all fours.  One could easily track his and Marco's progress by the rustling of the leaves coupled with the visual disturbances.

To Zelgadis's sharp eye, it appeared as if Jillas were catching up to Marco.  Nodding in satisfaction at this, he quickly circumnavigated the thicket until he was on the other side.  According to his calculations, Marco would be coming out right about…

As if on cue, a figure exploded from the underbrush right into Zelgadis's waiting arms.  The impact knocked him off balance and he fell back, losing his wind when he struck the ground.  He determinedly maintained his hold on the boy though.  Marco had led them on a merry chase, but now he was going to have his answers.  "Hold still, damn it!" he growled as his captive thrashed about.

Jillas obediently went limp.  "Sure, boss.  Whateva' ye say."  He laid his head against Zelgadis's chest with a sigh of contentment.  Never look a gift horse in the mouth, he thought as he took the opportunity to catch his breath.

"Get off me!" Zelgadis growled, shoving the fox aside.  Crawling on all fours, he poked his head into the dense tangle of branches.  The bushes showed no signs of life.  "Where is he?" he demanded.  "What happened?"

Looking up from his task of picking brambles from his tail, Jillas shrugged apologetically.  "Don't rightly know, boss.  'E was ahead of me one second, gone the next."

"The devil, you say!  You lost him.  You didn't turn when he did or something."  Zelgadis stood and glanced about, desperately seeking any sign of Marco.  There was no movement, nor sound to betray the boy's flight.  He was just gone.

"Beggin' ye pardon, boss, but I didn't lose 'im.  'E disappeared.  I was right behind 'im, actually reachin' out t' grab 'im when 'e turned.  When I followed 'e was gone."  Jillas sighed in irritation.  "I did m' best."

Zelgadis shook his head in disbelief.  He hated to admit it, but Jillas was right.  Even he thought that they had Marco.  He'd been just ahead of the fox, he'd seen it.

"Funny thing, boss," Jillas remarked.  "No smell."

"What?" Zelgadis asked, not quite understanding what the fox was getting at.

"The boy.  'E didn't 'ave a scent."  Jillas grinned proudly and added, "If I could smell 'im, I'd track 'im t' th' ends o' the earth for ye, boss."

A terse nod of Zelgadis's head was the only indication that Jillas received that he'd been heard.  It seemed that the boy was something of an enigma.  He was as quick as the wind and incredibly clever.  Rather unusual for a boy of ten or twelve.  To say nothing of the fact that he'd led Amelia into trouble and refused to confess to it.

"Whacha thinkin' boss?" Jillas inquired.

"You were right about this place," Zelgadis admitted with a nod.  "There's something very wrong around here."  Taking one last look around in a fruitless hope of seeing Marco, he turned on his heel and began to walk back towards the village.  There was some force at work here and he was determined to find out what it was.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  It seems that there are more questions than answers for Lina and her friends.  Is Xellos back?  Why did he attack Amelia?  There may not be time to answer the questions as something dark has stirred…

Notes:  I know this chapter may have been a little dry, but trust me, I'm going somewhere with this.  I did like the Lina/Amelia bit.  I've always thought that they had an interesting relationship.  You know, the whole "Blow things up and ask questions later" type balanced with the "Let's think things out… but, you know, blowing stuff up does sound cool" type.

Depending on how things go, the next chapter MIGHT be posted next week.  That's a big 'might' though.  It really depends on if I get over this bit of trouble I'm having with 33.  I'm a little stumped at the moment, but working through it.

Reviewer Response:

Hmm, no vampire circus performers… *scribbles in notes*  I got it Ichiban!  And we'll be getting around to the mystery of Zel's condition pretty soon.

Otaku Girl, I really would like to read your stories, but if you really don't want me to, I mean REALLY don't want me to… I won't.  *sniff*  Wow, a lot of questions… Um, wait for the next chapter.

Thanks for the kind words, Blue Lady.  I'm especially glad everyone's enjoying the way the L/G stuff is going.  I was a little nervous about that.

Well, I hope all your questions were answered, Miss Gabriev.  Sorry, but you missed #200, by one.  Nice try though.

*puts paint away*  Are you sure about that Raven?  I got this stuff on special and it'd be a shame to let it go to waste.  *sigh*  Zel lose it on Amelia?  I don't think he has it in him to do that, do you?  On the other hand…

Dragonet, not too many twists, but a couple answers so I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you all for reviewing and thank you to Pogo for her fine betaing.


	33. The Gathering Storm

"Xellos," Lina said quietly.  "Amelia, Xellos is dea- gone.  Gourry and I were both there when it happened.  So, it's impossible."  She nodded, a small smile upon her face.  Saying it aloud made it a lot easier to believe.  "Besides," she said, forcing an insincere chuckle, "even if he were back, why would Xellos be after you?  You barely knew him."

"Well…"  Amelia compulsively played with the corner of the blanket as she thought.  It was as if she couldn't let herself entirely focus on the unpleasant memory of her attack.  "I think he's mad at me," she confessed after a moment.  "I mean he had to be!" she blurted out.  "You don't bite someone if you're happy to see them, right?"

"Xellos is not mad at you," Lina said with a more genuine laugh.  "I think if he came back, he'd have more important things to deal with than you.  What, did you steal from the collection plate or something?"

The redhead had meant the question as a joke, something to calm Amelia down a bit, but she took it quite seriously.  "N-No!  Of course not!" she stammered, a horrified expression on her face.  "When I was with the circus, I didn't get to go to church as much as I should have, but I wanted to!  I really did!"  On the verge of tears, she whimpered, "When I did go, I didn't have much money, but I tried to give what I could!  Miss Lina, did… did Xellos attack me because I didn't tithe enough?"

Lina knew that she shouldn't laugh.  Amelia was upset and it was a serious situation.  She could have been killed.  But something about the idea of Xellos coming back from the hereafter because someone was a skinflint was incredibly amusing.  She bit down on her lip, almost drawing blood in her attempt to keep a straight face, but it was a lost cause.  Not wanting Amelia to be too upset with her, she leaned forward and flung her arms around her friend, muffling her laughter in the acrobat's sleeve.  "That's brilliant!" she managed between giggles.  "Xellos came back because you're a cheapskate!"

"Miss Lina, you're horrible!" Amelia yelled indignantly.  She struggled to detach herself from Lina's grip, but the effort made her dizzy again.

"I'm sorry," Lina said earnestly.  She gently helped Amelia back to a prone position and pulled the blanket up about her again.  "Really though, I'm sure there's another explanation for it.  Do you remember anything else about last night?  Anything at all?"  She turned to pour herself a fresh glass of water.

"I remember singing.  Marco and I both heard it.  It was a beautiful song.  So pretty, but so sad at the same time.  Something about loving the light but losing it…"  Amelia almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the crash.  She turned to see Lina trembling uncontrollably, the shattered remains of her glass on the floor at her feet.  "Miss Lina?" she whispered, quickly sitting up in bed in case Lina needed some kind of help.  She needn't have worried as the redhead quickly shook her head and turned away.

Lina squeezed her eyes shut as she struggled to get herself under control.  "It's just nerves," she explained to Amelia through clenched teeth.  "It happens sometimes."  She hugged herself tightly, eager to have a task for her hands to keep them from shaking.  "It just happens," she said again, as if repetition would make it true.

Amelia watched her friend lurch to her feet woodenly.  "Is there anything I can-"

A violent shake of Lina's head cut Amelia off.  "No," she said, struggling valiantly to keep her expression neutral.  "I just need my medicine."  She staggered over to the door as if something had physically wounded her.  Pausing just for a moment, she sighed shakily and said, "You're probably right, Amelia.  Xellos came back because you didn't give enough to the church."  She quickly stepped out of the room and slammed the door so that she wouldn't have to hear Amelia's response.

Now that that was taken care of, there was the small matter of finding her cape.  Lina looked around the kitchen, vaguely remembering that she'd removed it here before her tryst with Gourry.  Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a pile of scorched black cloth in the corner.  "No," she squeaked as she hurried over to the remains of her cloak.  Unmindful of the fact that she was getting soot on her borrowed dress, she tore through the garment like a woman possessed.  Her hand struck something hard and she breathed a sigh of relief.  Her relief quickly turned to horror as she pulled her empty flask free.  The cap was gone and the interior was utterly empty.

Lina's eyes misted up and she flung the worthless flask across the room with a cry of frustration.  Sadly, it didn't break anything, instead hitting the wall and clattering to the floor uselessly.  It would have felt good to hear something break.  Crawling on all fours, she arduously made her way into the master bedroom and then into the closet.  Nestled comfortably among the clothes, she pulled the door shut.  Only then in the privacy of the darkness did she allow herself to weep aloud, her sobs so violent that they physically hurt.  Somewhere over the course of her venting, she popped a thumb into her mouth, unable to cope with what she suspected.

************************************************************************

"What's the plan, boss?" Jillas nervously inquired.  On the trip back to the village, he'd seen a strange transformation come over his master.  He'd been quiet, mulling over the pursuit of Marco.  That was nothing new.  The boss spent a lot of time thinking and Jillas was glad for it.  It wasn't something that he was terribly good at himself.

Something had changed though.  Zelgadis had been muttering to himself as they walked through the forest.  He almost seemed to be carrying on a conversation.  The strange thing was that he didn't seem to be talking to Jillas.  "We don't need to punish him," he reiterated for what must have been the tenth time in five minutes.

"Punish who, boss?" Jillas had foolishly asked the first time it had been mentioned.  Zelgadis had given him a look of such fury that he'd promptly stuck his fingers in his ears to avoid hearing anything further.  Apparently, what was being said was supposed to be a private conversation between the boss and… who?

"Jillas!" Zelgadis bellowed.

The fox smiled sheepishly and pulled his fingers out of his ears.  "Sorry 'bout that, boss.  Jus' thought ye wanted some privacy."  He stood at attention; eagerly awaiting whatever command Zelgadis would see fit to give him.

Zelgadis looked down on his servant disdainfully.  He'd have to get rid of him somehow.  "Go back and find the boy," he commanded.  Without even waiting to see if he'd been obeyed, he turned to return to the village.

"Whacha gonna do, boss?"

"Not that it's any of your concern," Zelgadis hissed, turning his frightening gaze back on Jillas, "but we're going to see Amelia."

Jillas cringed in fear.  Something dark and mean flitted about behind his master's eyes.  "We?" he managed to whisper.

A look of horror crossed Zelgadis's features and he quickly shook his hand and said, "I didn't say we.  I said 'I'.  I am going to see Amelia."  He shuddered violently for a moment, struggling with whatever it was that haunted him.  His fingernails bit into his palms, drawing blood as he clenched his fists.  "Not we.  I," he reiterated, more to himself than anything.  He glanced at Jillas in surprise, as if just noticing that the fox was still there.  "Don't you have something to do?"

"Just leavin'," Jillas said, turning to run back into the depths of the woods.  He was torn between loyalty and, well… loyalty.  His debt to Zelgadis demanded that he obey any command unquestioningly, but there was something wrong with him.  Something that made him worry about Miss Amelia, his other master.  Things could get so very complicated sometimes…

Zelgadis watched the fox leave with a mistrustful look.  He'd be trouble and would have to be dealt with.  He shook his head, trying to free himself of the whispering voice within.  He could scarcely believe that he was considering murdering his loyal servant.  No, not him.  His companion wanted Jillas dead.  The voice also wanted to see Amelia.

Hissing in pain, Zelgadis clutched his skull, digging bloody furrows into his forehead with his talons.  Talons?  When had he had talons?  His hands shook as he glanced at them in fear.  His nails had always been weapons, razor sharp blades on his fingertips.  He was a predator after all, and they helped him bring down his prey.

But now, they would scarcely pass for human.  The color of obsidian and almost corneous, his fingers were nothing if not knives now.  Gloves, he thought desperately.  He'd need some heavy gloves to go with his cloak.  If he were going to survive, he'd have to pass for human.

His decision made, Zelgadis turned towards the forest, meaning to leave Amelia and the others.  He was becoming something… different and had no idea of what to expect next.  Still, there'd be no harm in saying goodbye to Amelia, would there?  He stopped in his tracks to ponder that thought.  She'd be upset if he left without so much as a wave.  He'd go back then.  For Amelia.

A hungry smile on his face and darkness behind his eyes, Zelgadis turned and hastily made his way back to the village. 

************************************************************************

Marco leaned against a tree somewhere deep in the woods struggling to catch his breath.  He'd thought that those guys had him for sure, especially when the fox chased him into the brambles, but he'd given them the slip.  Or they'd given up?  He wasn't sure.  Either way, they'd been gone when he'd mustered the courage to slow down and look over his shoulder.  Looking around, he realized that he was in an unfamiliar part of the forest.  Apparently, he'd run further than he'd first thought.  Great.  How was he going to find Sarah when he was lost himself now?  "Nice job, stupid," he grumbled angrily.

The sound of laughter drew the boy's attention and he glanced out from behind the tree to see two people making their way through the forest.  The first was a slender woman wearing a sky blue dress with long blond hair.  She wore a cheerful smile that just seemed right on her face.  Marco couldn't imagine her frowning.

Her companion was a bear of a man, tall and heavily muscled with a mop of slightly unkempt hair slightly darker than hers.  His arms seemed to be almost as large as the woman's torso.  One of them was wrapped lovingly about her waist, while he easily carried a huge sack in the other.

Marco grinned, relieved to see some familiar faces for once.  It was his neighbors, on their way home from their buying trip by the looks of the bag.  That meant that he wasn't quite as far from home as he'd thought.  Stepping out from his hiding place, he waved cheerfully and called out, "Hey, Mister Gabriev!  Missus Gabriev!"

"Hey, Marco!" the huge man rumbled, raising his hand in greeting.  "How ya doin' kid?"  Grateful for the excuse to stop, he set his bag down with a grunt and stretched.  The pops in his back sounded like a series of small explosions.  "Damn, it feels good to get that load off my back."

"Goren, I'll thank you to watch your language!" his wife said crossly, swatting him on the arm in irritation.  "There's a child present!"

"Sorry dear," Goren mumbled apologetically.

Marco snickered at the sight of the huge man being reprimanded by someone less than half his size.  Although she might seem a little irritable, there were few people more kindhearted than Lily Gabriev.

Having sufficiently scolded her husband, Lily turned a slightly stern smile on Marco.  "What are you doing way out here?  Your mother's going to have a fit when she finds out, you know."

"Well…"  Marco grimaced inwardly.  It was true that Missus Gabriev was kindhearted, but she was also incredibly protective of all the children in the village, probably due to the fact that her own son had run off a few years ago.  Gary or something.  He couldn't really remember.  He'd been pretty young at the time.  He smiled at the woman sheepishly, hoping that she'd let him off the hook.  From the looks of things, that wasn't happening.  He must have been right in his first assumption that he was pretty far from home.  He was probably going to be in for it when he got back.  The last thing he needed was Missus Gabriev telling him not to worry about Sarah and escorting him back to the village.

Thankfully, Goren made the save, selflessly throwing himself into the line of fire.  "Ah, let the boy alone, Lily," he said with a deep chuckle.  "He's probably up to some sort of mischief or something."

"You say that like it's a good thing," Lily said crossly.

An expression of mock surprise on his face, Goren asked, "It's not?!"  This sparked a bit of a tirade from his wife and he was immediately on the defensive.  "Dear, it was a joke.  No, I don't think it's good for the boy to get into mischief.  Lily, I'm sure he's not going to become a hoodlum.  You're overreacting.  Yes dear, I know you don't overreact."  Now that he had her attention focused on him, he gave Marco a surreptitious wink and nodded towards the trees, indicating that it was time for the potential hoodlum to make his exit.

Marco threw Goren an appreciative wave and beat a hasty retreat into the forest.  He was immensely grateful that at least one of the Gabrievs had apparently been a kid at some point.

************************************************************************

Amelia had been dozing fitfully, her dreams filled with frightening images of a purple haired priest possessing large fangs.  His horrible mocking laughter drove her back into consciousness with a gasp of fear.  The first thing she noticed upon opening her eyes was that it was dark.  The shutters had been closed and the curtains drawn for good measure.  The only light in the room emanated from a single candle sitting on the bedside table.

The second thing that caught Amelia's eye was the figure sitting next to her bed.  She jumped a bit in surprise, before recognizing her companion.  "Mister Zelgadis?" she said questioningly.  "What are you doing here?"

Zelgadis's expression was inscrutable in the shadows of the room.  "I came to see how you were doing," he explained in a strangely neutral tone.  Nodding at the shuttered window, he said, "I closed them.  There was a strong breeze and you were shivering when I came in.  Typical of Lina to forget something that important."

"She's not that bad," Amelia said with a nervous chuckle.  "She's trying her best to help me.  I just don't think she's ever done anything like this before."  She looked at the shutters longingly and said, "It is rather dark in here.  Do you think-"

"I like the dark," Zelgadis interjected.  He leaned forward so that his face was barely illuminated by the candlelight.  His pale skin made him look almost insubstantial in the flickering light.  "It's comfortable.  In the light of day you have to work that much harder to conceal what you really are.  The darkness is much more liberating."

What a strange thing to say, Amelia thought.  "Well… what are you really?" she inquired as she anxiously took in the sight of Zelgadis's wings.  A dark sense of menace hung about him like a shroud.  This was the kindhearted man that had escorted her to the ball?  She barely recognized him.

"I'm not sure just yet," Zelgadis admitted with a shrug.  "I was once Zelgadis Greywords, Chief Minister of Sairaag.  That was before.  Now, as you've undoubtedly noticed, I've gone through some changes.  I'm becoming something else."  A wicked grin split his face, revealing needle sharp fangs.  "Something better."

Amelia slunk down in the bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin fearfully.  She resembled nothing more than a small, frightened child in that moment.  "I don't think so," she ventured.  "I like the old Zelgadis.  He was nice."  She compulsively clutched at the medallion that Lina had given her that morning.

"I can be nice," Zelgadis said with a shrug.  "I'm just a bit famished at the moment.  You have something I need, Amelia.  Won't you help me?"  He laid an icy hand on the acrobat's cheek, causing her to recoil.

The notion that Zelgadis was just like Xellos flashed through Amelia's mind.  The hungry look in the eyes, the sense of menace, and the cold touch; they were all the same.  Instinctively, she withdrew her medallion from under the covers and thrust it in Zelgadis's face; Lina's promise that it would protect her echoed in her memory bringing a small measure of comfort.

Zelgadis instantly recoiled, his face a mask of rage.  That rage quickly gave way to confusion as whatever was in him retreated to the safety of the darkest recesses of his mind.  "Oh no," he whispered.  "Amelia, what happened?  Did he hurt you?"  She looked unharmed but the expression on her face betrayed the fact that something terrible had almost happened.

Amelia didn't answer her companion, instead scrabbling to the far side of the bed, trying to put as much distance between herself and Zelgadis as possible.  She looked up at him fearfully, struggling to ascertain whether or not it was really him or something that looked like him.  The guilty expression upon his face convinced her that for the moment, she was safe.  "I'm sorry, Mister Zelgadis," she said, as if it had been her fault that he'd just tried to feed on her.  She tentatively reached out to touch his hand as a show of trust.  It was cold as ice and his nails were-

"Don't touch me!" Zelgadis snarled, snatching his hand away from her.  Intentionally or accidentally, it was impossible to say, he dragged his claws across her palm when he pulled his hand back.  Something laughed in the back of his mind as he stared, utterly transfixed by the blood dripping from Amelia's hand to stain the coverlet.

Immediately understanding what had happened, Amelia snatched her hand back, concealing it beneath the blanket, hoping that the other man wouldn't return.  The other man; it was surprising how easily she'd assumed that Zelgadis couldn't be the one responsible for what he'd just tried to do.  It made sense though, or it didn't, but she'd heard of such things from Martina.  Seers sometimes took on the characteristics of those they were channeling, right down to their mannerisms and speaking patterns.  It looked as if that was what had happened to her friend.

At the moment, Zelgadis was torn between the two personalities, the sight of blood almost driving him mad with need.  But, when Zelgadis was in control he was cool and refined, with a stiff demeanor and a scowl fixed on his face.  When the other Zelgadis came out, things totally changed.  He hunched over a bit more his scowl turned into a sickening smile.  His normally cool voice became raw, barely hiding the desire he felt.

Amelia waited with much trepidation to see which one would win out this time.

Zelgadis gasped in pain as his internal companion conceded this battle.  It made a point of making him gouge his wrist with his nails though; a not so friendly reminder that he'd never really be in control.  Despite the pain, he smirked, reveling in his victory.  He'd spent a lifetime controlling his thirst and forced it down as he had so many times before.  "Your hand," he whispered in concern, nodding at the bloodstained blanket.

"Oh, it's fine," Amelia lied, trying to keep the pain from registering on her face.  It hurt.  A lot.  But, she couldn't risk looking at it until Zelgadis left.

Zelgadis looked at the acrobat crossly, as if reading her mind.  "Let me see it," he said, his tone indicating that it was a command and not a request.  When she reluctantly drew it out from beneath the blanket, he seized her wrist, perhaps a little more tightly than necessary.  It was messy, but shallow and he breathed a sigh of relief.  Putting his talons to good use for once, he quickly cut a length of cloth from the end of his cape.  The wicked blades sliced through the heavy material as if it was air and he shuddered.  How far would the changes go?

Shaking his head to dispel that decidedly unpleasant thought, Zelgadis went to work wrapping Amelia's hand.  "You shouldn't lie to me," he chastised.  "Were you just going to sit here and bleed to death?"  He felt guilty when he asked that.  As much blood as there had been, she might actually think that she could die from the wound.  "It's not that bad," he explained.  "Just a shallow cut."

Amelia nodded mutely, watching as Zelgadis worked.  His hands shook almost uncontrollably, betraying the fact that while he was speaking to her quite rationally; he was locked in an unending struggle with whatever was within him.  She felt a sudden wave of pity wash over her and quickly quashed it.  He was quite perceptive about emotions and she didn't want to make him feel worse by thinking of him as a victim.  He had a lot of pride.

"There," Zelgadis whispered, forcing a smile.  He patted the back of Amelia's newly bandaged hand sympathetically.  "Sorry about that."  He quickly released her and stepped back when he remembered that he was touching her with his claws.  Self-loathing consumed him momentarily and he wondered if the world would be a better place without him.  He knew how to end his own life.  Perhaps he should do so.

Fear was all that stayed the vampire's hand.  He'd once asked Lina what Hell had been like, one late night on the road when the others had been asleep.  She'd not said a word, instead giving him such a look that even he was shaken.  The subject had been dropped without further discussion.  He knew that was his fate.  Even if he hadn't been branded a heretic, he entertained no foolish notions of salvation for himself at the end of the road.  He was a wicked creature; less than human, yet at the same time something more.  Either way, he had no desire to hurry along his path to damnation.

Slowly, Zelgadis came to the realization that Amelia was looking at him.  He nodded to her and said, "Right then.  I really just came to say goodbye.  I want you to stay with Lina and the others.  They'll take care of you."

"Goodbye?" Amelia repeated in disbelief.  "Where are you going?"  Mister Zelgadis needed help and he was leaving?  It didn't make any sense.

"Away," Zelgadis stated.  "I need to be away from people.  Away from temptation."  He turned and made his way over to the door.  Don't look back, he thought.  If you look back, she'll be crying and it'll be harder.  Why'd you get so close to her anyway?  The rustling of the sheets drew his attention and he ignored his own advice in favor of looking over his shoulder.  "What are you doing?" he asked with an irritable sigh.  Whatever she was doing, it wasn't crying.

Amelia was wobbling dangerously but had somehow managed to sit up and put her feet on the floor.  "I'm going with you.  You'll never solve anything if you hide from the world."  Struggling to her feet, she fixed Zelgadis with a determined gaze and said, "Mister Zelgadis, it's wrong for you to suffer needlessly and… oh my."  The effort of standing and speaking at the same time proved to be too much and she was overcome by a sudden wave of dizziness.  She blinked at the floor stupidly as it rushed up to meet her face.

Luckily, Zelgadis had already moved to catch the woozy acrobat.  She tumbled into his open arms and he suddenly found his face less than an inch from hers.  They both gasped in surprise, caught in a moment that seemed to stretch on forever.

Amelia turned pink as she stared at Zelgadis, her cerulean eyes wide with wonder.  She couldn't recall ever being this close to him before and, truth be told, it was kind of nice.  There was no malice in his eyes at the moment and he looked just as shocked as her to be there.  Did that mean that maybe…?

"Ooh, now it's saying that soon you will meet your one true love.  How very romantic!  I'm so jealous of you, Amelia!"

Martina's words came unbidden to Amelia's mind as she hovered there in Zelgadis's arms.  "My true love…" she whispered thoughtfully as she gazed at him thoughtfully.  The fangs were a little off putting, not to mention the claws.  And the wings… well, Martina had never said that true love would be easy, right?  Ack!  He was blushing!  It was at that moment that she realized she'd whispered, "My true love," aloud.

Zelgadis turned away from Amelia and coughed embarrassedly.  "You'll catch cold," he mumbled as he gingerly lifted her and laid her back in bed.  A moment later, he was pulling the blanket up to her chin, being careful to keep her medallion exposed.  "I don't expect you to understand why, but I have to go."

"You think you're dangerous," Amelia replied sadly.  She knew that if he left, she wouldn't have the strength to follow him.  And then, he'd suffer in solitude.  She didn't want to see that happen.  Because… Well, because he was her friend and friends tried to help each other.

"I don't have any friends," Zelgadis stated coolly.

"I'm your friend," Amelia shyly said.  "Or, I'd like to be if you gave me the chance.  I don't know what's wrong with you, but I promise I can help.  Don't go, Mister Zelgadis."

A long moment of silence followed in which Zelgadis and Amelia gazed into one another's eyes, caught in a test of wills.

Sighing regretfully, Zelgadis was the first to back down.  "I'll stay, but despite what you think, I'm dangerous."  He knelt down beside the bed and looked at Amelia's medallion.  It wouldn't be pleasant, but he had to show her that she needed to be cautious around him.  With much trepidation, he snatched up the silver dragon and held it tightly within his fist.  

The effect was immediate.  Zelgadis hissed in pain and his knuckles turned white from the exertion of holding onto the pendant.  A faint sizzling sound could be heard as wisps of gray smoke emanated from between his fingers and the sickeningly sweet scent of burning flesh permeated the air.

Zelgadis released an aborted cry of pain and flung his face down into the blanket so Amelia couldn't see the tears of agony rolling down his cheeks.  It felt like his entire arm was burning with his hand being the worst of all.  "You see?" he gasped.  "Dark creatures cannot abide the light.  'I' am a creature of darkness."  He felt Amelia trying to pull the medallion free of his grip, heard her pleading with him to release it, but somehow he managed to clutch it even more tightly.  "Remember this."

With that, the vampire was no longer able to maintain his hold on Ceiphied's image.  His fingers sprang open of their own volition, dropping the medallion back onto the blanket, and he snatched his hand back.  The dragon seemed to glower at him with its silver eyes, unwilling to tolerate his existence.  He glared back at it defiantly.  Ceiphied be damned, he'd never asked to be born like this.  With agonizing slowness, he dragged his gaze up until he was looking into Amelia's frightened eyes.  "Remember," he repeated, tears rolling down his cheeks, "I'm not human.  I never was.  I'm a danger to everyone around me."  An imploring look upon his face, he said, "I want you to promise me that you'll never remove that pendant.  I-I'm always hungry, Amelia.  I used to be able to control it, but now, I'm not so sure I can anymore.  Lina's right.  The medallion will protect you and if you honestly want me by your side, you'll need it.  We both will."

Amelia silently nodded, unshed tears in her eyes.  Zelgadis must really care about her to do something so horrible to himself.  She wanted to take the awful thing from around her neck and fling it out the window; it'd hurt Zelgadis so it had to be bad, right?  The pleading look on his face stayed her hand though.  She wasn't just wearing it for her, he'd said.  It was for him as well.  "We'll help you," she repeated, almost as if it could become true with reiteration.  "Miss Lina, Mister Gourry, and I."

Zelgadis nodded gratefully and righted the chair that sat next to the bed.  He'd knocked it over as he'd thrashed about while holding the silver dragon.  Lowering himself into the seat, he smiled at Amelia, indicating that he wasn't going anywhere and it was okay for her to sleep.  Thankfully, she did so after a few moments.  Her exertions had exhausted her.

Once he was sure that the acrobat had drifted off, the smile dropped from Zelgadis's face to be replaced by a look of total agony.  The pain in his hand was the most horrible torture he had ever experienced, worse even than when Grou had impaled him so long ago, and he very seriously considered the possibility of removing it to slacken the pain.  Experimentally, he tried to flex his fingers.  He immediately bit down on his lower lip drawing blood, in an attempt to stifle a cry.  That had been incredibly stupid.

Instead, Zelgadis drew his injured hand up to eye level to discern the amount of damage that had been done.  His eyes widened in shock and this time he was unable to suppress a moan of despair. Thankfully it didn't wake Amelia, but he was past worrying about her at that point.  The mutilation was far worse than he'd ever imagined.  There was an indentation of the dragon burned into his palm, but instead of just scorching his unnatural flesh, it had burned almost all the way through.  Bleach white bones were visible in his palm surrounded by charred flesh that was still smoking slightly.  At two places, he could see light from the window through his hand.  The flesh of his fingers that he had encircled the dragon with had been mostly burnt away leaving naught but charred tendon and bone.  

He might never be able to use the hand again, Zelgadis thought as he tore his gaze away from it, unable to stomach the sight of it any longer.  He quickly slipped the entire arm beneath his cloak and shook his head irritably.  The hand might be gone.  It might not.  Either way, Amelia understood what he was and would be safe.  That was all that mattered.  Still, how vile was he?  He used to be able to tolerate the image of Ceiphied, had actually gone to church as dictated by his duties as Chief Minister.  But now, it seemed that piety was a most virulent poison.  What was hiding within him to elicit such a reaction from the image of the Flare Dragon?

Haunted by these thoughts, Zelgadis watched over Amelia as she slept, occasionally whispering heatedly to the voice that had taken up residence within him.

************************************************************************

Unaware of what was happening a few feet away in Amelia's room; Gourry cautiously called out, "Lina?" as he poked his head in the front door.  After having breakfast, which had been totally unfulfilling, even if it was his grandmother's cooking, he'd returned to his task of harvesting lumber.  For some reason, Leon hadn't felt like helping and excused himself, saying something about getting to a doctor.  Apparently, he wasn't used to almost getting killed by infuriated women.

Gourry shook his head sadly.  It was a talent one either possessed or didn't he supposed.  He'd gotten used to Lina's outbursts fairly quickly and had actually learned to anticipate them and counter them at times, a fact that pleased him to no end.  In fact, he'd actually had the forethought to bring Lina a present after her tantrum earlier that morning.  In addition to the bundle of boards he carried under his arm, he also bore a basket, filled to overflowing with wild berries.  After all, if he was hungry, it stood to reason that Lina must be as well.

The swordsman called Lina's name again, his gaze darting around the kitchen nervously.  He did want to see her.  And it'd be much better for him if he saw her before she saw him.  That way, he could offer her the berries before she had the opportunity to turn them into jam.  Not to mention him.  Assuming she was still mad, of course.

Noting that he was apparently alone in the house, Gourry sighed in disappointment and set the lumber down on the floor.  He grimaced as he looked at the wall.  That had gotten the worst of things, the timbers scorched to the point of uselessness.  It'd be a long job, but he wanted to get it done before his parents arrived.  To have them see that he'd ruined their kitchen after being away so long would be disappointing to say the least.  He began to take down the old boards, but paused in mid-pull.  He'd heard something faint.

Crying, Gourry realized.  Someone was crying.  Curious, he abandoned his work in favor of following the noise.  A moment of investigation revealed that it was emanating from the master bedroom.  "Hello?" he quietly called, wondering if some child had wandered into the house.  The weeping sounded like a little girl.

The bedroom appeared unoccupied, things just as he and Lina had left them that morning.  The sheets had been flung off the bed in Lina's haste to get to Amelia's side.  The nightstand leaned precariously against the wall, balanced on two legs after Zelgadis had collided with it.  The crying temporarily forgotten, Gourry hastened about the room trying to set things right.  Sometimes he hated being so forgetful.  What would mom have said if she'd seen things so messy?

A quiet scraping sound in the closet, so faint as to be almost inaudible, instantly drew Gourry's attention.  Absentmindedly tossing a pillow he'd been holding aside, he turned and crept over to the closet door.  Ever so slowly so as not to disturb the occupant, he laid his ear against the door, listening intently.  There was the crying again, quiet as if whoever it was didn't want to be heard.  It was his house though.

"Hey, are you okay in there?" Gourry asked, turning the doorknob and slowly pulling the door open.  An instant later, it was snatched violently from his hand and slammed shut again.

"Leave me alone, Gourry!" Lina's muffled voice commanded.  She'd tried to make it sound like a threat, but it'd come out more as a plea.  She sniffled loudly a moment later and cursed aloud at her own weakness.

Concerned, Gourry almost reached out to yank the door open again.  Lina was crying and that meant something was really wrong.  He restrained his impulse at the last second and instead sat down next to the closet.  "What's wrong, Lina?" he gently asked.  An apprehensive look on his face, he cautiously inquired, "Is this about breakfast?"

Lina swore at Gourry and there was a loud thud as she slammed her fist into the door in her irritation.  Okay, maybe this wasn't about breakfast.  Speaking of breakfast…

"Hold on a second, Lina," Gourry said, as if Lina could be dragged from the closet by force, much less leave of her own volition.  He scrambled to his feet and ran out into the kitchen where he snatched up the basket of fruit, spilling dozens of them on the floor.  It didn't matter.  There were more important things to worry about now.  "I've got food," he said eagerly as he plopped back down by the door to Lina's sanctuary.  "Aren't you hungry?"

A quiet sniffle was followed by a few seconds of silence.  "Well… what kind of food?" Lina hesitantly asked.

Gourry grinned.  Things must not have been that bad if she was thinking about food.  "Berries," he explained.  "I picked them when I was out earlier.  They're good."  He popped one into his mouth to emphasize his point, uncaring of the fact that Lina couldn't see him.

The door swung open just far enough for Lina's hand to snake out and pick a few of the berries from the basket.  "Thanks," she whispered, withdrawing her hand back into the darkness.  There was the sound of quiet munching and then silence.

"Did you fall asleep or something?" Gourry muttered, turning his head and putting his ear to the door again.  All of a sudden, it was flung violently open, slamming into the side of the swordsman's head and knocking him onto his back.  He glanced up just in time to see the basket being pulled into the closet before the portal swung closed again.  "That good, huh?" he asked, rubbing his abused skull.

Lina grunted in agreement as she gorged herself on the fruit.  A moment later, the empty basket was flung out of the darkness, almost as if the closet itself had emptied it.

"Feel better?" Gourry asked, being careful to stay out of reach should Lina decide to throw the door open again.

"A little," the muffled voice admitted.

Sighing in relief, Gourry moved a little closer and laid his back against the door.  Unbeknownst to him, Lina was doing the same thing on the opposite side, making them look like bizarre shadows of one another, the swordsman in the light and the Slayer in the dark.  They sat that way for a few moments, unconsciously comforting and drawing comfort from the other's presence.

Then Gourry broke the silence.  "Um, will you tell me what I did?" he sheepishly asked.  "Because, I can't say I'm sorry if I don't know what I did wrong.  And I want you to be happy."

There was a sad little laugh from within the confines of the closet and Lina said, "You don't know what you did wrong?  Gourry, you bait for brains.  You didn't do anything wrong… well, nothing that I didn't already punish you for anyway.  I mean, 'rabid hyena'?  That kind of hurt, but I'm over it now."

"Sorry," Gourry said with a pained expression.  "But, if I didn't do anything, what's wrong with you?"

"What do you know about me?" Lina asked in return.

Ooh, the swordsman hadn't expected that.  Was there a right way to answer this?  Thinking for a moment, he decided that he'd answer it the way he answered everything else:  honestly.  "I know your name's Lina Inverse," he said, starting with the obvious.  "You're a Slayer, which means you kill evil things and help people who can't help themselves.  You're kind of short tempered and irritable sometimes."  He could almost feel her tense up behind him and quickly added, "But, you're usually very nice and when you smile, I forget about the bad stuff.  I know that you're beautiful, even if you don't think so sometimes."  He smiled and quietly said, "I know that you're incredibly ticklish, especially when I kiss your-"

"Okay!  That'll do, Gourry."  Lina laughed embarrassedly, an incredibly pleasing sound after the sobs that Gourry had heard before.  

The doorknob turned and the swordsman moved away from the door so that Lina could get out.  The door swung halfway open, but the closet's occupant didn't emerge.  "What gives, Lina?"  Gourry cautiously poked his head into the closet and saw the redhead hastily wiping away her tears.

"Sorry," Lina said with a quiet sniffle.  "I'm not quite ready to face the world yet.  Will you stay with me for a bit?  I know you have things to do, but…"  She shrugged helplessly, unwilling to admit that she couldn't stand the idea of being alone anymore.  She'd spent the last few years in solitude and now that she'd tasted companionship, she found that it was something that she was unable to live without.

Several things ran through Gourry's mind.  He had to fix the kitchen, straighten the bedroom, and he really should see if Leon was okay.  So, it only made sense that he found himself squeezing into the closet beside Lina.

Lina gasped as the air was driven from her lungs.  "Not enough room," she hissed at her protector, hoping that he understood that she was being crushed to death.  A moment later, his arms had encircled her waist and pulled her free.  She found herself sitting in his lap, looking up into his loving eyes.  "That's better," she said, her face turning a bit pink.  She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his fingers gently running through her hair.

"Feel better?" Gourry whispered into the redhead's ear.  His question was answered by a happy sigh and a quick kiss on the cheek.  He put his arms around her waist and drew her close.  "Do you want to tell me what was wrong?"

"Mmm," Lina muttered in response, not quite ready to vocalize her dark suspicions.  Maybe she would sometime down the road, but now she just wanted to be with someone.  Specifically, she wanted to be with her Gourry.  She buried her face in his neck and hugged him tightly, wishing that she could become a part of him.  When she was with him, her worries seemed utterly inconsequential.  Still, she knew that just because she wanted them to, her problems wouldn't leave so she reluctantly drew away from her protector and looked into his eyes.  She was almost overwhelmed by what she saw there.  "You do love me," she whispered in wonderment.  "You love me and you don't even know me."

"I don't?" Gourry replied, his expression one of befuddlement.  He knew that Lina was a kind and caring person who needed him.  What more was there to know?

"No, you don't," Lina said with a sad smile.  "We'll fix that though."  She couldn't bring herself to share her problems with Gourry just yet, but she could share a little bit of herself.  It'd make a good starting point.  She cleared her throat and haltingly said, "I-I was born in the province of Zefielia.  I had an older sister, Luna, who I think I may have mentioned before…"  Hesitantly at first, but with increasing confidence, Lina began the terrifying process of letting someone truly know her.

************************************************************************

"Sarah!"  Marco's voice cracked midway through his friend's name, making it sound like a croak.  He winced and rubbed his throat.  He'd been calling her name for an hour and was starting to lose his voice.  It didn't stop him though.  Somehow, he knew that something was wrong.  She'd never been late before and he was going to find out what was wrong.

It would be nice to get a drink of water though.  Marco coughed, an extremely painful sound.  He was going hoarse and his throat felt like sandpaper.  He desperately took in his surroundings, looking for a stream, puddle, or even a leaf filled with the last remnants of the morning dew.  Anything would do at this point.

It was an extremely pleasant surprise when he heard the sound of water dripping nearby.  He quickly located the source of the noise.  It was a small hole in the ground, so overgrown that he hadn't even seen it.  Luckily for him, he hadn't stepped in it.  He probably would have broken his ankle.  Curious, he lay down in the grass and cautiously peered into the opening.

What he'd first assumed was a small rut in the ground actually turned out to be a decent sized opening.  Cool air blew in Marco's face, indicating that it stretched fairly far into the earth.  It wasn't nearly large enough to be called a cave, but was just wide enough for an ambitious young man to wiggle into, which he proceeded to do.  There was something creepy about the darkness, but there was water down there somewhere and it was rather exciting.  He'd have to remember to tell Sarah about this when he found her.

Ever so slowly, Marco made his way into the darkness, drawn on by the tantalizing sound of water.  The first few feet of the tunnel had been a tight squeeze, but thankfully, it opened up a bit as he made his way in.  Able to move a bit more freely, he crawled forward on hands and knees, going faster than he should have in the dark.

So, when Marco set his hands down on thin air, he was already leaning too far forward to stop himself.  He yelled in surprise as he tumbled forward, flipping in midair to land on his back with a loud splash.  He was immediately chilled to the bone as two inches of icy water eagerly soaked the heat from his body.  "Jeez!" he yelped, leaping to his feet and hastily shaking himself off.  Well, he'd found the water.

Somehow, that knowledge brought Marco little comfort.  He glanced around, his eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness.  About a dozen feet above, the light from the opening shined down on him almost mockingly.  "Great," he muttered, cautiously making his way over to where he thought the wall would be.  The floor was treacherous; innumerable fissures hidden just beneath the inky surface of the water.  His hands found slimy stone and his hopes fell.  There was no way he could climb it.  That meant that he'd have to wait for someone to come along and the odds of that were-

Marco's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something large splashing in the dark behind him.  He turned too quickly and slipped at the same time.  By some cursed luck, he managed to wedge his foot in a crack in the floor as he fell.  There was a loud snap, barely noticeable over the splash of the boy striking the water for the second time in two minutes.

Whining in pain, Marco sat up and instinctively reached out to grab his ankle.  He yelped when he felt something shift painfully and wisely decided that holding it wasn't the best course of action.  Suddenly remembering why he'd fallen, he looked up to see a humanoid shape looming over him.  Before he could react, a pair of arms snaked out to grab him by the shoulders and lifted him out of the water.  For just a moment, he thought that the stranger was going to help him out of the pit.

Those hopes were dashed when Marco's assailant violently slammed him into the wall.  He saw stars for a moment, but was quickly brought back to the present by the unpleasant sensation of the jagged stone digging into his back.  He saw that his attacker was not alone.  There were a dozen more figures flanking him and more shuffled out of the darkness as he watched.

There was the ominous hiss of a blade being drawn in the darkness and if he hadn't known before that these people were hostile, he knew now.  He tried to cry for help, but an impossibly strong hand clamped around his throat, robbing him of his breath.  He managed a pathetic gasp as he saw a rusty dagger glint in the meager light.

All of a sudden, the dagger was gone and he felt a small sting in his belly.  This was quickly followed by a sensation of sickness and Marco felt as if his stomach was turning flips.  He looked down and was surprised to see that he was right.  His stomach, along with the rest of his guts, tumbled free of his body and struck the water.

As his world began to go gray, Marco looked up again, trying to see the face of his attacker before he died.  What he saw in the gloom confused him to no end.  It might have been a trick of the light, but it appeared as if his assailant was missing half of his face.

Marco didn't have time to ponder his new development as shock and massive blood loss pulled him into death's cold embrace.

The child's body was cast down on the floor like so much rubbish.  The dark things looked at him curiously for a moment before some unseen signal drove them forward as one.  They surged forward, trampling Marco's sad remains, and slamming into the wall like a living wave of water.  Many were crushed to the point of uselessness as they crawled atop one another in an attempt to reach the light that had delivered the intruder into their world.  It mattered not.  Where one fell a dozen more rose to mount his body like a stepping-stone.  There had been a disturbance in their world and soon there would be retribution for it.

The darkness had begun to move.

************************************************************************

Aqua was sweeping her front walk, just as she always did after lunch.  It may not need it, but there was a comfort in the routine that she took immense pleasure in.  Although she had to admit that it was nice to have a few surprises now and again.

Surprises like her dear grandson showing up after all these years.  She'd honestly never expected him to return again.  The eager glint in his eye when he left gave her the impression that he'd gladly allow himself to be swallowed up by the outside world.  So, it was quite a pleasant surprise to have him and his friends show up at her doorstep yesterday.

As nice as it was to see Gourry again, his companions were a bit perplexing.  The younger girl had been nice enough, a cheerful sort who seemed genuinely excited to meet and greet everyone in the village.  His male companion had been suspicious looking, but of course, she was too polite to say so.  That brought her to his lady friend…

Lina was quite the enigma, talking about killing vampires and such.  At first, Aqua hadn't believed it, but she spoke with such sureness that the old woman had been won over.  There were legends, after all, and such legends had to come from somewhere, right?  Every story had a kernel of truth to it, as her dear departed mother had told her long ago.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't the talk of the walking dead that had bewildered Aqua so badly.  It was her questions.  The way she'd looked at Gourry when his age had been mentioned.  Almost like she didn't believe it.  And this morning, she'd asked what the date was, a peculiar question.

The strangest thing was that Aqua couldn't remember what the date was.  Chalk it up to old age, but she was having a great deal of trouble just remembering what month it was.  Summertime, to be sure, but all she had to go on was the blooming foliage and the weather.  She'd almost asked Mister Einberg about the date, but had relented at the last moment.  He'd probably think her silly for getting so mixed up.  Or worse, what if he didn't know either?

A sudden gust of wind roared through the village, startling the old woman out of her thoughts.  She lost her grip on her broom, which went sailing down the narrow street.  "Oh bother!" she exclaimed, the closest she'd ever come to cursing.  It wasn't so much the fact that she'd lost her broom, as she'd been frightened out of her wits by the suddenness of the wind.  It was unnatural.  She glanced up at the sky and frowned.

Dark clouds were brewing on the horizon.  With frightening speed they seemed to pour over the hilltops and envelop the sun.  The light was snuffed out almost immediately as the wind continued to howl.  Day had become night as something terrible turned its eye on the village.  Streaks of lightning leapt between the clouds temporarily turning the false night into day again.  The first fat drops of rain began to fall, slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed and intensity.  This was followed by hail.

Her broom forgotten, Aqua turned and hurried back into her house to close the shutters and prepare for what looked to be a monster of a storm.  All around her the rest of the villagers did the same.

************************************************************************

Lina snuggled up to Gourry, wishing that the moment could last forever.  She'd told her story, a bit of it anyways, and it'd been incredibly liberating.  She'd omitted the part about Luna's death and what happened after, but still she felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her chest.  There would be time to tell the rest later.  All the time in the world.  "Gourry?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Do you like it here?"

"Why do you ask?" Gourry inquired in return, planting a loving kiss on Lina's forehead.

Lina smiled at that bit of affection and explained, "Because, I like it here.  It's a nice place, well, aside from the vampire in the woods of course, but an expert Slayer like me would have no trouble dealing with that."  She chuckled a bit at that.  All vampires were dangerous and never to be taken lightly, but with Gourry by her side, she was sure they could kill it with little problem.  "Anyway," she continued, her face turning bright red, "the people are nice, nobody wants to hurt us, and well… I'd be happy staying here for a little while… you know, with you.  Only if you wanted to, of course."

Gourry was about to answer when a particularly violent gust of wind rattled the house as if it were nothing.  "That sounds pretty bad," he said, his brow furrowed in concern.  He quickly climbed to his feet, never relinquishing his hold on Lina.

"Um, you can put me down, you know…" Lina nervously suggested, half expecting Gourry to charge out into the storm with her in tow.

Shaking his head in indication that Lina should be quiet, Gourry quickly stepped out into the kitchen; seemingly following a sound only he could hear.  "It's strange…" he whispered.  "Almost like…"

Zelgadis's voice startled Gourry out of his thoughts.  "By Ceiphied, you're insatiable, aren't you Lina?  Just like a couple of rabbits."  He smirked at the couple from across the room where he'd just emerged from Amelia's sleeping quarters.

Lina started kicking wildly in Gourry's arms and shook a fist at Zelgadis, which, of course, was exactly the result he was going for.  "That's none of your business, you pervert!  If you weren't breaking into my room at three in the morning you wouldn't have to worry about it!  Besides, we weren't…"

Zelgadis's expression turned grim as he tuned out the rest of Lina's tirade in favor of looking at Gourry.  "You heard it too?" he asked, already reading the answer in the swordsman's expression.

"What?  Huh?  Heard what?" Lina asked, her anger quickly forgotten.  She glanced back and forth from Gourry to Zelgadis in rapid succession.  She was missing something here and she hated it when she missed things.  "What's going on?!" she demanded when it was becoming obvious that her queries were being ignored.

"Go stay with Amelia," Gourry instructed as he hastily set Lina down and snatched the Sword of Light from atop the kitchen table.

Lina's ire turned to fear as she watched Gourry hastily don his sword belt.  His hands shook as he buckled it, making her even more afraid.  Nothing shook Gourry.  It was a rule of nature or something.  "What's wrong?" she asked, struggling to keep the fear from her voice.  When her protector seemingly ignored her again, she lost her temper and bellowed, "Jellyfish!  Why won't you answer me?!"

Gourry shook his head, indicating that Lina should be silent while he finished his preparations.  He wished that he'd had armor, but it was too late to worry about that.  There were far too many for armor to make a difference anyway.  He had the idea that Lina was yelling at him somewhere in the distance, but was too focused on preparing himself for the fight to care.

Zelgadis rolled his eyes, growing tired of Lina's tirade, and pointed at the front door.  "You don't hear that?!" he asked.

Lina cocked her head and listened and for the first time she heard what had spooked Gourry and Zelgadis.  It was no wonder she hadn't heard it before.  Zelgadis had senses far beyond those of normal men and being a mercenary, Gourry was familiar with the noise.  It was a low rumble that she'd mistaken for thunder at first, but this was ceaseless and it sounded as if it were approaching.  "Soldiers?" she guessed after a moment.

"Yeah," Zelgadis said with a terse nod.  "If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that Rezo's troops have found us."  A moment later, he'd flung the door open and rushed out into the storm with Gourry right on his heels.

Lina stood there for just a moment before shaking her head and muttering, "No way am I playing nursemaid," just before darting out the door after them.  If something happened, Amelia would be just as dead if she were there or not.  And she was not going to sit by like some frightened little girl and wait for the soldiers to come for her.

************************************************************************

"Lily!" Goren bellowed, trying to be heard over the wind.  They'd almost made it to the village when the storm had come out of nowhere.  Being built like a tank, he was having little trouble with the wind, but it was battering his wife around like she was nothing.

Somehow, Lily managed to make it under the relative shelter of a nearby tree.  She held onto the trunk tightly, lest she be blown off her feet again.  Never in her life had she seen a storm so strong.  She tried to put on a brave face to put Goren at ease, but only managed a grimace.

Goren lumbered over to Lily and sheltered her from the wind with his body.  "Let's go!" he yelled, pointing to a few dim lights at the bottom of the hill.  They were within a mile of home.  "We can't stay here!"

Lily shook her head and clung even more tightly to the tree.  "I can't make it!  Let's wait it out here!"  The tree trunk creaked loudly and ominously, drowning out the last bit of her speech.

"Gods, woman!  You can be so stubborn sometimes!" Goren grumbled irritably.

"I am not stubborn!" Lily angrily retorted.  "There's no reason not to wait it out here."  She yelped in surprise as a hailstone the size of her fist struck the ground beside her.

"That's reason enough!" Gouren yelled as he flung the sack of goods down on the ground.  A bolt of sky blue cloth fell out of the bag and was immediately snatched up by the wind and carried off into the dark.

"What are you doing?!" Lily demanded as she watched the purpose of their entire trip snatched away by the storm.  Cloth, tools, foodstuffs, they were all gone in a few moments.

"We can always get more!" Goren replied, easily scooping Lily into his massive arms.  He could have carried the bag as well, but he wanted both arms free to better protect his most beloved treasure from the elements.  "Cover your eyes!" he instructed as the hailstones began to fly almost horizontally towards them.  He grunted in pain as one of them gashed his cheek drawing blood.  Slowly but surely, he began to make his way down to the village and shelter.

Before Goren had taken ten steps he heard a sound.  It must have been impossibly loud to be heard over the howling of the wind.  The ground began to tremble and he briefly wondered if they were suffering an earthquake on top of the storm.  It'd be just their luck.

"Goren, look!" Lily called out.  She was looking at something over Goren's shoulder with a terrified expression on her face.  "What are they?!"

Goren turned to see an army marching on the village below.  He thought it was odd, but perhaps a passing patrol was just seeking shelter from the storm, just as they were.  He was about to call out to them, to tell them to follow him when lightning lit the sky.

The soldiers were dead to the last man.  Grievous wounds marred rotting bodies making it impossible to tell how some of them managed to keep in step.  In fact, some of them didn't.  One warrior who was missing a good portion of his left leg hopped, looking almost comical in his attempt to keep pace with his brethren.  Unfortunately for him, he slipped on a muddy patch of road and was immediately trampled to paste by his comrades.

Having seen more than enough, Goren turned, meaning to run to the village with as much haste as he could muster.  He had to warn them about what was coming.  Somehow, they had to-  

A spear came sailing out of the ranks of the dead, flying against the wind through some unnatural power and buried itself in Goren's lower back.  He bellowed like a wounded animal and dropped to one knee.  "Run," he told Lily, the look in his eyes telling her that this was no time for complaints.

Lily nodded and tried to do as she'd been instructed, but the wind made it almost impossible to progress.  For every two steps she'd take forward, she'd stagger back another one.  Still, it was a mercy that she had something to do.  So intent was she on making it home that she didn't have to see the dead tear Goren apart.  A few moments later, she died instantly as a rusty sword pierced her heart from behind.

************************************************************************

"This doesn't look good," Gourry admitted as he watched the swarm of soldiers sweep down the hill towards the outskirts of the village.  There were far too many for him and the others to have a prayer of victory.  "We should run, right?" he asked, looking down at Lina.  He knew that she'd be there beside him despite his request that she stay inside. 

"We could run," Lina said quietly, barely audible over the wind, "but, it's not going to save these people."  She gestured to the rest of the village and looked up into Gourry's eyes almost guiltily.  "I'm sorry, Gourry."

"Sorry for what?" Gourry nervously asked, feeling a chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with the freezing rain.  "Sorry for what, Lina?!  If we leave, they'll follow us, right?  So, just go back and grab Amelia and-"

"If they're servants of the church, they'll leave none alive," Zelgadis interjected.  "The penalty for harboring heretics is to be branded a heretic yourself."  Shaking his head in disgust, he muttered, "I knew it was a mistake to come here.  We should have kept going when we first saw the place."  He squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the identities of the intruders.  "Huh," he muttered in surprise.  "Sorry, my mistake.  Apparently, it's an army of the dead come to devour the village to the last child."

Lina and Gourry exchanged incredulous looks.  A ravenous army of the damned, huh?  Well, what were the odds of that?  Not really any better than a regiment of Rezo's troops, but it was too late to complain now.  Bad luck just seemed to follow them no matter where they went.

"You know, this puts a totally different spin on things.  Since these things aren't really after us, we could grab Amelia and make our escape.  They do seem kind of slow and I doubt they'd follow us too far."  Zelgadis rolled his eyes as Lina drew her dagger and Gourry his sword.  "Why am I the only sensible one?" he grumbled, drawing his own blade with his good hand.

The three companions charged as one, meeting the horde just as they reached the outermost home of the village.  There was a loud crash and a bright light illuminated the area.  It wasn't lightning though.  The Sword of Light, reflecting the intensity of Gourry's righteous anger within its blade, fell time and again, hewing countless adversaries like so much chaff.

Lina and Zelgadis hesitated for just a moment, awed by the skill and fury of the Swordsman of Light.  They'd never seen him fight so hard.  Were their enemies any fewer there might actually be hope for victory.  They admired Gourry for only a moment before they themselves were beset by the rest of the tide that he could not stem and were forced to defend themselves.

They all fought with incredible skill.  Lina used her nimbleness to avoid harm and riposted with expertise born of years of fighting for survival.  Zelgadis was the antithesis of the young woman's style, relying instead on his vampiric abilities to protect him from harm.  The blades that cut him could not kill him, instead driving him further into a murderous rage that he welcomed for once in his life.

Still, despite their most valiant efforts, Lina and the others would have fallen almost immediately, trampled beneath the army had some miracle not happened.  Gourry was a valiant fighter, but he'd gone too far into the mass of death to adequately defend himself.  A large corpse, bearing what looked to be an even larger hammer, rose up behind the swordsman, meaning to dash his brains out.

Thankfully, just before the maul fell the dead man's head exploded, shattered by a deft swing of a wooden sword.  

Gourry whirled around to see Leon standing beside him, a sick looking smile on his face.  He nodded gratefully before turning back to the melee.  His friend obviously wasn't enjoying this despite his speech earlier in the day.  As he watched, the rest of the villagers stormed out of their homes bearing whatever weapons they could find.  Pitchforks, cooking knives, one woman even carried a broom.  At about the same time, Jillas charged from the woods, firing two shots before plunging headlong into the battle.  It was a heartening sight that drove him to fight all the harder.

Still, it was like lambs to the slaughter.  Unskilled in the art of combat, the villagers began to fall to the supernatural warriors.  Death had not slackened their skills any.  Leon fell, the haft of a spear jutting hideously from beneath his jaw.  He clawed at it briefly as he thrashed about on the ground, as if trying to scratch some annoying itch, before being trampled to death.

Leon's death brought home to Gourry the fact that they were all in mortal danger.  With that in mind, he frantically began to search the battlefield for the small redhead that he'd grown to love.  He caught sight of Lina's crimson mane about twenty feet away, a bright spot in a sea of darkness, and quickly began to hack his way over to her.

As the swordsman fought his way through the masses, Jillas was biting and clawing at anything that came within reach.  Somehow, he missed a hand holding a dagger and the blade plunged into his good eye, blinding him.  Unable to see any more, he was helpless as innumerable hands seized him and pulled him in several different directions.  He howled in pain and tried to fight on, but eventually his body yielded to their unnatural strength and he was torn to pieces.

Zelgadis growled in anger at the sight and if possible became even more uncontrollable.  He would miss his servant despite the foxes annoying penchant for calling him 'boss'.  However, there would be time to think about Jillas later.  His wings were tatters, large appealing targets for the masses, their wounds annoying pinpricks in his back.  Myriad injuries covered his body, but nothing that he couldn't heal with a bit of rest.

The vampire hissed in anger as a huge warrior seized him and lifted him off his feet.  He clawed at the dead man, raking talons through undead flesh.  It had little effect as his foe flung him across the battlefield with little effort.  It wasn't that bad, he thought as he flew.  Being on his back would be a slight inconvenience, but he'd be back on his feet in no time.

Sadly, Zelgadis didn't see where he was landing until it was too late.  Agony shot through his body as he was skewered on a white picket fence enclosing someone's yard.  He looked at the blood streaked wooden post erupting from his chest curiously, not really comprehending what had just happened.  Wooden post.  Chest.  How strange.  He tried to climb to his feet, meaning to continue the battle, but his body would not obey him.  It was seized with some strange paralysis.

Although his heart had been skewered, all but killing him, Zelgadis's blood apparently didn't think it was the end.  It moved with a life of its own, pouring out of his gaping chest wound and forming small tendrils no more than a few inches in length.  These thrashed about, struggling to lash out at his enemies.  "T-The blood…" he hissed in understanding just before an ax came down, neatly severing his head from his body.

Gourry and Lina were the last to be overwhelmed, wiped out by the sheer numbers of their foes.

Lina was the first to go, being the less skilled of the two.  She let a cruel barbed spear slip through her guard to plunge into her stomach.  She cried out despite her best efforts not to.  The last thing she wanted to do was distract Gourry from the battle.  The wielder of the spear twisted and pulled, pulling her intestines free of her body.  The last thing she saw before her head was cruelly twisted from her neck was Gourry holding out his hand, calling her name.

 Then Gourry had no more reason to fight.  The Sword of Light flickered and went out, plunging the battlefield into darkness and the swordsman welcomed oblivion.

The village burned, the flames eagerly consuming wood and flesh as Amelia finally found death as well.  The light from the fire shone brightly for miles around until the downpour finally put it out.  And then the village was no more.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  …

Notes:  Well, I thank you all for reading and I do hope that you enjoyed the story.  Funny how things turn out this way, isn't it?  I mean, I was expecting some sort of resolution to the story, maybe some answers, heck, just SOMETHING, you know?  Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles.  *switches off light and shuts door*

Oh, okay.  Don't cry people!  There's more to be told and I think that it'll be told next week as a matter of fact.  So, be sure to tune in next week (how do you tune in to a written story?) for the all zombie, all the time, cast of Slayers.

Reviewer Response:

Ichiban, you're going to find out a LOT more about Zelgadis in the next chapter, so I expect that will make you happy.  As to whether or not it's because he loses control remains to be seen…

Otaku girl, I'd love to get a summary of your story.  *points to e-mail in profile*  Just send it there if you please.  I do wonder why you're so secretive though.  And Marco scares you?  He's a sweet little boy!  What's to be scared of?

Ari-chan, I'm sure it was a sign.  Since it author alerted you 37 times, it means you owe me 37 reviews, right?  Or maybe not.  Interesting thoughts about the figure in white.  Ooh, thinking is unhealthy?  Eep, I must be a dead man then.  Why doesn't anyone ever tell me these things?

Boo-san!  *hugs*  I was beginning to wonder if you dropped of the face of the world.

Xellic?  Nifty!  It could be defined as, "Characterized by the pronounced ability to drive red haired sorceresses or dragon priestesses to acts of destruction by means of sheer irritation."  Hmm, I don't think it'd get that much use, do you Stara?

Slow down for a second, Dragonet.  You've confused me…  *rereads review*  Yep, you've totally lost me…

Things have been going a bit better, Colin, so the pace should pick up a bit.  *crosses fingers*  Hoped you liked the bit of L/G in this chapter.

Kaitrin, thank you very much for the kind words.  As for your query, Mimi and Nene were left at the scene after Hellmaster worked his magic on them.  That's why Lina was linked to their murders.  After being interred, they were drawn to his lair by his power.  I'll better clarify it if I ever get around to rewriting this mess.  Thanks again for the compliments.  Any time I can waste someone's entire day, it puts a smile on my face.

Thanks, as always, to my hard working, genius, and inspirational wonder of a beta reader, Pogo (Did I get all that right, you modest sweetheart, you?).  Seriously!  She's betaing 2 projects for me and co-authoring another.  *offers chocolate covered cherries*


	34. The End Begins

Somewhere in time, before two sisters were tragically separated by darkness and the demon called Hellmaster arose to spread chaos across the world, laughter rang out in a normally quiet forest glade, dominated by a majestic oak tree overlooking a glassy pool of water. That might not seem too unusual, as there were many beautiful places in the world, but this one was different. It was the favored playground of a certain pair of children.

Twilight had fallen over the forest and at the moment, these particular children were absorbed in the task of catching fireflies in jars filched from their mothers' kitchens.  They would most likely be reprimanded for dirtying the jars with filthy insects but that was for tomorrow morning and as far as they were concerned, tomorrow might never come.  They were having too much fun trying to collect enough fireflies to make decent nightlights.

"Marco, there's one!" the pretty blonde girl excitedly pointed out.

"I got it!" Marco yelled, thundering across the clearing towards the unsuspecting insect.  At the very last moment, his foot tangled in one of the massive roots of the oak and he stumbled.  There was no way that he was going to look stupid in front of Sarah though.  As he fell, instead of trying to catch himself, he extended his arms and snagged the firefly in the jar, trying to make his fall look like determination more than clumsiness.

When the dark haired boy sat up a moment later, he sported a bloody nose and an immensely satisfied grin.  "Got it, Sarah," he stated proudly, holding up the jar for her inspection.  Just as he claimed, the newly imprisoned firefly flitted about irately.  A moment later, all the others he'd captured began to fly out the open top to freedom.  "Jeez!" he yelled, looking frantically around for the lid to the jar.  By the time he'd found it, he was down by about a dozen bugs.  "Aw…"

Sarah giggled and gestured to a spot next to her beneath the tree.  "It's okay, Marco.  We can always get more, right?"

Marco flopped down under the tree wearing a disappointed look upon his face.  He'd intended to give his share of the fireflies to Sarah.  After all, guys didn't need nightlights.  Only girls were afraid of the dark, right?  He absentmindedly reached up and wiped a bit of blood off his nose.  Stupid fireflies, he thought as he watched them flit across the pool as if they didn't have a care in the world.

"Sooo, you don't want to catch fireflies anymore?" Sarah ventured, noting the irritated look upon Marco's face.  He usually pouted when something didn't go his way, the stupid head.  Normally, she'd be inclined to let him mope, but she was in too good a mood for that.  "Let's do something else," she suggested, trying to draw him out of his mood.

"Like what?" Marco asked.  He sighed and picked up a stone.  A moment later, he'd skipped it three times across the surface of the pool.  "Beat that," he said with a smug grin.

Sarah sighed irritably.  Marco could be so competitive sometimes.  Picking up her own stone, she said, "I don't know.  Wanna play tag?"  She took aim and tossed her stone.  Three, four, five skips!  She could barely contain her amusement at having beaten him.

Marco shook his head and decided that he didn't feel like skipping stones anymore.  "Uh-uh, it's too dark for tag."  The last thing he needed was to fall on his face in front of Sarah twice in one day.  She'd never let him forget it if he did that.

"Okay, um…"  Sarah struggled for a moment to think of something.  Out of sheer desperation, she asked, "How about we play Prince Charming?"  She'd been reading a fairy tale earlier in the day and it was all she could think of.

"What?" Marco muttered curiously.  "What's that?"  He eyed Sarah suspiciously.  It sounded like some kind of girly game to him, but he was bored and desperate for something to do.

"Well…" Sarah said, stalling for time.  "You get to be Prince Charming and I'm the princess."

"Okay," Marco replied with a shrug, indicating that he needed more information than that to play whatever lame game Sarah had come up with.

"…and you have to rescue me!" Sarah said excitedly.  It was something, wasn't it?  "I'm going to be up in the tower," she explained, pointing up in the tree to indicate her location, "and you have to come save me from the evil Baron."

"Evil Baron?  Lame.  I'd just be climbing the tree.  And I'd need more than you to get me to do that."  Lacing his hands behind his head, Marco leaned back against the tree and shut his eyes.  "No thanks."

"You wouldn't help me if I was in trouble then?"

Marco glanced over at Sarah in surprise.  "I didn't say that, now," he grumbled guiltily.  "I just don't feel like climbing the tree tonight," he explained before closing his eyes again.  

"So, as long as I wasn't in a tree, you'd come and rescue me if I was in danger, right?" Sarah asked, a shy smile upon her face.  "Like, if I were being chased by wolves or something?"

"Wolves?" Marco asked with a chuckle.  He glanced over at Sarah and was about to tell her that there were no wolves in the area and that she was stupid for saying so, when he noticed something.  Maybe it was the way her dress complimented her eye color or the way she had braided a few flowers into her hair that day; maybe it was the moonlight, but for the first time in his life, he realized that Sarah was pretty.

This bombshell had the effect of striking Marco utterly stupid for a moment.  He stared at Sarah helplessly, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.  When had all this happened?

Sarah raised an eyebrow in irritation.  "You're going to catch a fly in your mouth if you don't shut it, frog face."  She sighed and stood up.  "If you don't want to do anything, you could just tell me instead of making faces."

Marco quickly snapped his mouth shut and even more quickly said, "I'llsaveyou."

"What?"

Faking a cough to buy himself a few moments to compose himself, Marco finally said, "If you ever get in trouble, I'll come and save you."

"What?" Sarah repeated.  Marco was acting stranger than usual all of a sudden.

"I'll rescue you.  You know, if you get chased by wolves or anything.  Or get caught in a tree."

"Y-You will?" Sarah stammered in surprise.  Marco was far more prone to fling clumps of mud at her than make proclamations of valor, so this was a bit unusual.  Well, better not to look a gift horse in the mouth.  "And will you help me if anything else happens?" she asked, unable to suppress a giggle.  "I'd hate to think that you'd only come running when wolves were around."

"Well, yeah… anything."

"Anything?  Do you promise?"

Marco's next words seemed to hang in the air long after he'd uttered them.

"I promise."

************************************************************************

The bedroom was dark, illuminated by a single beam of light that fell through the crack between the shutters.  Within the chamber, two women slept comfortably.  The acrobat Amelia lay in the cozy bed, the blankets pulled up to her chin.  Her newly acquired medallion of Ceiphied glinted in the morning light, illuminating her face and revealing that she'd regained a bit of her color as she slept.  She was already on the mend.  The other girl, the infamous Slayer, Lina Inverse, sat in a nearby chair recklessly taking her life into her hands even as she slumbered.  Her feet were propped up on the bedpost at Amelia's feet and she leaned back precariously, balancing on the rear two legs of the chair.  Every time she took a breath, she wobbled on the verge of collapse.  Still, things were comfortable and there was a sense of safety in their surroundings.

A loud click disrupted the regular sound of the girls' breathing as the bedroom door came unlatched.  The portal drifted open slowly, creaking loudly all the while.  Standing in the doorway was a hunched over shadowy figure clutching a staff.  It scanned the room for a moment before seemingly settling its gaze upon Lina.  A bewildered look crossed its features as it entered the room, its shuffling footsteps punctuated by the quiet tapping of its staff upon the wooden floor.  Reaching the redhead's side, a gnarled hand reached out to grab her shoulder and a voice whispered her name…

Lina's ruby eyes flew open in an instant and she yelped in surprise as she overbalanced in the chair.  A moment later, she'd tumbled to the floor in a heap, her bare legs high in the air.  "Oh my god!" she screamed time and again, clutching at her throat to make sure that her head was still attached while trying to feel her stomach as well.  Everything seemed intact and she began to calm down a bit.

The redhead's yells had woken Amelia, who promptly began screaming as well.  This did little to calm the situation down.  "I'm burning!" she shrieked, batting at flames that only she could see.  After a moment, she noted that she didn't seem to be on fire, but it'd all seemed so real.  "Miss Lina!" she called out when she saw her friend sitting on the floor next to the bed.  She opened her arms and Lina promptly leapt forward to hug her, immensely grateful to see a familiar face.  "Are we dead?!" she squealed into the redhead's ear, her gaze darting around the room in search of the fire from her dreams.

Realizing that she had to be the voice of reason, Lina reassuringly whispered into Amelia's ear, "We're not dead," repeatedly.  She grimaced as the acrobat squeezed her even more tightly than before, painfully digging her fingernails into her exposed back, almost as if Lina would disappear if she released her hold.  

"I-It was dark.  It was so dark.  And hot.  And I couldn't breathe, Miss Lina.  I tried to, but I couldn't!  And I couldn't get out!  I couldn't get out!!"  Thankfully, Amelia's screams were somewhat muffled by Lina's shoulder and she didn't wake the entire village.

Somehow, Lina managed to repress her own memory of dying long enough to get Amelia through the worst of hers.  "Amelia, I promise you're all right."  When the acrobat's terrified gasps finally gave way to loud sobs, she knew that the worst of the hysterics were over.  "It's okay," she quietly cooed as she rubbed her back reassuringly.  "We're okay."  Now she just wished that she could be sure that she was telling the truth.  Were they dead?

"What's wrong with the poor dear?" Aqua asked.

Lina eyed the older woman curiously.  She didn't remember?  "It's okay," she easily lied.  "She just had a bad dream."  She hoped that was all it was, but it had all seemed so vivid.  "A really bad dream," she said with a sigh as Amelia went into a fresh bout of wailing.  Truth be told, she felt like crying herself, she'd lost her head for Ceiphied's sake, but that wouldn't help the situation at all.

Something moved in the corner of the room and Zelgadis emerged from the shadows.  He quickly threw the shutters open, ignoring the irritating feeling of the morning light on his skin.  For once, he felt a little more safe and secure in the light of day.   "You saw it too," he stated, barely controlling the fear in his own voice.  He'd seen what he was becoming yesterday and that had shaken him even more than his death had.  Dying was one thing; losing yourself to something you couldn't control was far worse.

"It was just a dream," Lina warned, fixing Zelgadis with a look that said that he had best agree with her for Amelia's sake.

Zelgadis was having none of it though.  Amelia would just have to deal with it like everyone else.  It was harsh, but for the best in the long run.  "Lina, you know as well as I do that it wasn't a dream."

Lina shook her head left then right one time, her glare filling with such fury that even Zelgadis was momentarily taken aback.  She silently mouthed, "You bastard," and seemed to hug Amelia more protectively as if she could keep his callous words from reaching her.  "It was a dream," she practically snarled at the vampire.

Glaring right back at the furious redhead, Zelgadis hissed, "What happened yesterday was real and you damn well know it!"  He felt bad for Amelia, but the sooner they all came to grips with what had happened, the sooner they could figure out what the hell was going on.  He reached down and grabbed the ragged hem of his cloak and held it up for Lina's inspection.  "See this?  I did this yesterday."  He nodded at Amelia's hand and guiltily mumbled, "I did that too."  Almost inaudibly, he added, "Sorry, Amelia."

Amelia looked down at her bandaged hand as if it belonged to someone else.  When Zelgadis held up his own maimed hand, it was finally driven home to her that it hadn't been a dream.  Swallowing nervously, she asked, "Does that mean that we are…?"

"Dead?  No," Zelgadis replied with a shake of his head.  Gesturing to his injury, he chuckled dryly and said, "I don't know about you, but I'm in far too much pain to be dead."  It was true.  The hand throbbed ceaselessly.  The damage had been done by the grace of Ceiphied and no amount of blood could hasten its healing.  Not that he'd been getting as much as he needed to begin with.

"I'm okay, Miss Lina," Amelia said as she reluctantly released her hold on the Slayer.  Her face flushed bright red with shame.  She'd acted like a child.  "Sorry about that," she apologized almost inaudibly.

Lina gave her friend a quick squeeze before releasing her.  "Okay then, that just leaves the question of exactly what in the hell is going on around here."  She turned to Aqua, who was looking quite confused by their talk, and asked, "Auntie, what day is today?"  She thought for a moment about how drafty it was in the room.  Why had Zel opened the window anyway, she wondered as she hugged herself tightly.  She began to rub her bare shoulders with her hands in an attempt to warm up a bit.

Before Aqua could answer, the bedroom door was violently flung open and an incredibly relieved swordsman burst into the room.  "Lina," he said, breathing a sigh of relief.  Not even looking where he was going, he lunged across the room, meaning to take the redhead into his arms.  He stumbled over Lina's overturned chair, but it did little to slow him.  Instead, all it did was turn his hug into a tackle and he drove his love back onto the bed.

"Gourry, don't-" Lina managed to get out before being silenced with a kiss.  She responded enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around her protector.  It was great to be alive, but…  When he pulled away, she hastily tried to explain, "This isn't a good ti-" before being cut off again.  It was then that she glanced over and saw a furiously blushing Amelia covering her eyes.  When that happened, she put two and two together.  If Amelia was there, that meant that the others were still there and-ack!  Her train of thought was rudely interrupted when she felt Gourry's hands slide down her bare back to squeeze her bottom.  When had he gotten her out of her pants?!  Oh, he was good.

Figuring that since she was on the verge of dying of embarrassment that Gourry should die too, Lina pulled back and slugged the swordsman in the face as hard as she could, sending him reeling across the room to trip over the overturned chair again.

"Ow!" Gourry yelped as his butt slammed painfully against the floor.  "Lina, what'd you do that for?" he mumbled in a hurt tone as he massaged his almost certainly bruised jaw.  He quickly ducked as the bedside lamp went sailing through the air his head had occupied an instant ago.  It smashed against the wall, spilling oil and glass on the floor.  Wow, Lina must be really mad, he thought nervously.

"Pervert!" Lina bellowed, shaking a fist in Gourry's direction, "Do you think I'm some kind of exhibitionist or something?!  What's the big idea of undressing me in front of everyone?!  I'm not that kind of girl!"  She glanced around for more ammunition to fling at her protector, but found that she was woefully unarmed.

"But I didn't," Gourry protested.  He nodded at Lina's lack of clothes and said, "You were like that when I came in."  

Lina looked down at herself and flushed bright red.  "Why am I naked?!" she demanded of anyone in the room.  Fortunately for them, their survival instincts kicked in and they were as still as statures.  It was just like the nightmares she'd had when she was a kid, she thought dumbly.  The dreams of walking into the marketplace, or church, or-

Deciding that there were more important problems to deal with than Lina's state of undress, Zelgadis shot Aqua a sidelong glare and gruffly demanded, "What happened yesterday?"

Aqua glared right back at Zelgadis.  He was a rude fellow indeed.  No wonder she'd gotten a bad feeling from him when he'd first shown up.  "Yesterday, we threw a party for Gourry to celebrate his return home after five years."

"Ten," Gourry corrected.  "I've been gone for ten years, grandma."

Lina cocked her head thoughtfully as she wrapped Amelia's sheet around her body.  It was rather confusing.  Should she believe the guy with the somewhat questionable memory or the older woman who had given birth to the woman that had given birth to the guy with the questionable memory?  It was quite a dilemma.  After all, he had to have gotten his cluelessness from somewhere, right?  "How old are you?" she asked the swordsman after a moment of thought.

"Twenty two," Gourry replied without hesitation.

At the exact same time, Aqua said, "Seventeen."

"Okay…" Lina muttered, even more lost than before.  Apparently, Gourry didn't know how old he was or something was really, really wrong here.

Zelgadis sighed in irritation and asked, "Lina, who cares how old Gourry is?  We've got more important things to worry about."

"I know that!" Lina snapped back at the vampire.  "I just…"  She let her sentence trail off.  She just what?  She had the distinct impression that she was missing something terribly important.  Five years…  What was the significance?  Zel was right though.  It could wait.  "You say we arrived yesterday?" she asked Aqua.

"That's right," Aqua replied, not having the foggiest notion of what was wrong with these people this morning.

"It had to be a dream then," Lina said with a shake of her head.  "There's no other explanation for it.  But, how could we have all had the same dream?"

"Miss Lina, I don't know if it was a dream.  Mister Zelgadis is right about some of the things that happened to us.  I really got hurt."  Amelia smiled at Zelgadis reassuringly as if to tell him that she didn't blame him at all.

"And I'm hungrier than I was yesterday," Gourry chimed in.  He smiled sheepishly as everyone turned an irritated look on him.  "Well, I am," he said with a shrug.

"Anyway," Amelia continued, "I don't think it was a dream, but if it was, I've heard of something like it before."  She cleared her throat embarrassedly before quietly saying, "Maybe it was a prophetic dream?"  Taking the group's silence as disbelief, she quickly added, "I'm only saying that because Martina told me about them a long time ago.  She said that sometimes, we open up our thoughts a bit more when we sleep, letting the knowledge of the cosmos…  Oh dear, I sound pretty stupid, don't I?"

"Auntie, can I borrow some clothes?" Lina asked suddenly.  She wanted to find out if what they'd 'dreamed' had been correct and besides… well, she was naked!  She still didn't know how that had happened.  If she was nude, why weren't the others?  Why was she the only one to be humiliated?  It wasn't fair.  Turning her attention back to the old woman, she said, "If you don't mind, I'd like the light blue one, okay?  It's the one in the far right of your daughter's wardrobe."  Judging by Aqua's shaken look, she'd been fairly accurate.

Once his grandmother had left the room, Gourry spoke up again.  "Hey Lina, I've been thinking.  Something really weird happened yesterday, whether it was a dream or not, right?  Anyway, I was just wondering, um, if today is yesterday, does that mean that we're all going to die again?"

Thankfully, they didn't have to dwell on the subject for too long as they were interrupted by Aqua's knock on the door.  "Miss Lina?  I have that dress you wanted."

Opening the door, Lina hoped that her smile was a lot more cheerful than she felt.  "Thanks, Auntie.  I'll be out in a second."  She gratefully accepted the clothes and closed the door.  A moment later, she opened it again and helpfully added, "And you don't have to worry about the guy in your flowerbed.  You know, the one with the eye patch?  He'll be gone in a little while."  Then she closed the door again, cutting off the incredibly befuddled and spooked woman from the answers she wanted.

Aqua stood there for a moment longer, listening to the hushed voices talking in the bedroom.  She knew that she should go back in and get some sort of explanation.  It was her daughter's home after all, but she instead found herself hurrying out of the house as quickly as possible.  She'd decided that she didn't want to know what they were discussing.

************************************************************************

The door to the master bedroom slid shut with an ominous click.  There was a sense that serious things were being discussed behind it, to the point that Zelgadis hadn't even commented on the fact that Gourry had followed Lina in while she was getting dressed.  Instead, he walked outside into the morning light to wait with Jillas for their instructions.

Within the bedroom, Lina waited expectantly for a kiss or a hug or something.  Gourry was usually a very affectionate man, but now he almost woodenly walked over to the bed and sat down facing away from her.  She looked at his back for a moment before sighing resignedly and beginning to dress.  Just because she'd comforted Amelia earlier didn't mean that she wouldn't like to be told that things were okay herself.  

Gourry stared pointedly at the wall, trying to give Lina a bit of privacy as she donned the dress she'd worn yesterday, but hadn't.  It was quite confusing.  The rustling of cloth was the only sound in the room for a few moments as he collected his thoughts.  Finally, taking a deep breath, he said, "Was what Zel said yesterday true?"

Lina was immensely grateful that Gourry's back was to her.  He missed the incredibly guilty look on her face.   She knew exactly what he was talking about and reluctantly decided not to insult him by playing dumb.  Stupid jellyfish, she thought angrily, why did he only remember the annoying stuff?  "Well…yeah," she finally admitted.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Um, I wasn't…" Lina admitted, feeling even more like a heel than before.  She hated feeling guilty and the first sparks of anger at her protector began to kindle.  He was the one who had led the way into the village.  It wasn't her fault that he'd wanted to stay a while, was it?  If he had half a brain, he would have known what being a heretic entailed.  The fact that she was hungrier than she'd ever been didn't do much to ease her ill mood.  

"Why not?"

"Because, I thought we might be safe here," Lina said irritably.  "I still do.  I don't see any church soldiers around here, do you?" she asked sarcastically.

"I was just asking a question, Lina," Gourry replied, finally turning away from the corner to face the redhead.  "Why are you acting like this?"  His tone betrayed no anger with her, despite the fact that he had every reason to be.  Instead, he sounded more hurt than anything.  They'd put everyone he loved in danger by coming home.  He just wanted to know why she hadn't shared that important bit of information.

Damn it, why couldn't Gourry be angry with her?  It'd be so much easier to throw a fit and kick his ass if he weren't being so… so… so reasonable!  Lina glowered at her protector and growled, "Because, you're being stupid, worrying about things that don't matter right now!  I didn't tell you because I thought you were happy here, jellyfish!"  It was a lot easier to be angry than to admit that she'd made a mistake.  Unfortunately, it also took a lot more out of her.  She suddenly felt weak; wobbled for a moment before dropping to one knee and clapping a hand over her mouth.  She retched uselessly, her stomach utterly empty.

Gourry hastened to Lina's side and gently helped her to her feet before leading her over to the bed.  He was alarmed by how weak her grip on his arm was.  "Are you okay?" he asked, as he sat down beside her.  When she didn't answer, he took her in his arms, not knowing what else to do to help her.  They were all hungry, but it was surprising that it was this bad for her already.  "Do you want me to get you anything?  I think there's a bit of toast in the kitchen…"

With a phenomenal effort, Lina managed to shake her head.  Her body didn't want to obey her.  She willed the hands in her lap to do something, anything, but they just lay there as if they belonged to someone else.  She was hungry, but that wasn't the problem.  Besides, she was quickly coming to the conclusion that it didn't matter what any of them ate.  There was something else.  "I-I'm okay," she stammered breathlessly.  It wasn't a lie.  As quickly as the spell had hit, it had passed.  Smiling up at Gourry reassuringly, she said again that she was all right, making it far more believable the second time.  She felt okay again, aside from the damn hunger of course.

Trying to take both their minds off what had just happened, Lina asked, "You know what you're supposed to do, right?"

A disapproving frown on his face, Gourry reluctantly nodded.  Lina was sending him away from her side.  He wasn't comfortable with the idea to begin with, but she was going off with Zelgadis to 'discuss things' as she had so enigmatically put it.  She didn't trust Zel, which in turn made him not trust their companion either, despite the fact that he personally liked the man.  Zel was quiet and moody at times, but he was reliable in a pinch, as he'd shown during their fight with Jillas.

"I'll be okay," Lina said with a grin, reading the concern in Gourry's face.  "I know how to take care of Zel if I have to.  See?"  A frightening glint in her eyes, she reached down the front of her blouse and produced a wooden stake.  "Voila!  I was worried that I wouldn't have anywhere to hide a weapon in this getup, but being the genius I am, I figured something out."

"That's great, Lina."  Gourry breathed a mental sigh of relief.  At least she was taking things seriously.  Poking one of her meager breasts, he said, "That's a great hiding place.  I'll bet you have room for ten or twenty of those things in there, don't you?"

Lina sighed irritably and massaged her temples.  "You know I'd pound you for that if I wasn't so tired, right?"  She grinned when he nodded.  "Good, just making sure.  Well, we've sat around long enough.  Let's get to work.  Unless you want to find out if you're right about what happens this afternoon?"

Gourry found that he didn't want to at all.

************************************************************************

"The most important thing is finding out why this is happening," Lina mused aloud as she and Zelgadis crested a hill outside of town.  "If we knew that, we could figure out how to stop it."  She struggled to hide the fact that climbing the small hill had almost exhausted her.  Her shoulders slumped, almost as if in defeat, but she pushed on nonetheless.  Even if he tried something, she got the distinct impression that she wouldn't be able to do much about it.

"I concur," Zelgadis said with a nod.  "Easier said than done though, don't you think?  You're asking us to figure out why an army of dead men arose from their grave, why they're interested in this village, and why we're not dead after being quite thoroughly murdered by said dead men."  As he spoke, he eyed Lina almost predatorily.  She was weak and now would be an excellent time to deal with her… should he want to of course.  Shaking his head in irritation, he banished the suggestion from his mind.

Lina shuddered briefly at the memory of seeing her insides splayed out on the ground before her.  "Don't remind me," she said with a sigh.  She gazed down on the village from their vantage point, trying to discern something, anything, that might be out of the ordinary.  From up there, it looked like a perfectly normal little hamlet.

"Why are we up here?" Zelgadis asked, scanning the horizon with his sharp eyes.  "The answers are down there.  We're wasting our time."

"Yeah, well my sister taught me that if you should look at the big picture before tackling a problem."  Lina gratefully plopped down in the lush grass and gestured to the village below.  "I'm looking at it right now."

"Wasting time is more like it," Zelgadis grumbled.  Luckily for him, Lina didn't hear.  Sighing resignedly, he took a seat beside her and suffered in silence as she lazily gazed up into the sky.

Lina smiled and laid back to look up into the sky.  It was warm, but not uncomfortably so as a gentle breeze blew across the hilltop.  She felt like she could sleep for days.  Until she figured Zel out though, she didn't dare.  Instead, she focused on the clouds overhead.  "Ever just sit and look at the clouds, Zel?" she inquired.  "It's kind of neat.  See?  Look at that one."  She pointed up at a random cloud and said, "That one looks like a staked vampire."  She giggled and added, "Oh, and look at that one!  It looks like a severed demon head!"

Wincing in pain, Zelgadis stole a quick glance at the cloud Lina was pointing at.  "It looks like a fluffy little bunny rabbit to me."  Oh god, had he just said that?  Scowling, he stared down at the ground.  Not as much sun hit his face when he looked down.

"Yeah?  Well, that's because you don't have any imagination."  Lina frowned apologetically when she saw how uncomfortable her companion looked.  "Oh, I'm sorry, Zel!  Do you want to go sit over there?" she asked, pointing to the comfortable looking shade of a nearby group of trees.

"Only if you're done reliving your childhood," Zelgadis grumbled.  Without waiting to see if Lina followed, he quickly climbed to his feet and made a beeline for the cool shadows.  Sitting down beneath a particularly large tree, he spread his wings from under the protective layer of his cloak, groaning in relief as he did so.  For some reason, they seemed to be even more photosensitive than his skin, resulting in the painful sensation of a sunburn after only a few minutes of exposure.

"Give me a break, Zel.  I don't get to do stuff like this very often."  Lina flopped down in the shade next to Zelgadis and eyed his wings appreciatively.  "Hey, have you ever tried using those like a fan?" she asked, flapping her arms in demonstration.  "Because, I'm a bit warm and-"

"Lina!" Zelgadis snapped angrily.

"Okay, jeez!  I was just asking!"  Lina rested her chin in her hands, pouting in that cute way that had made Gourry crash an 'invitation only on penalty of death' party with her.  Seeing that her charms weren't going to get her a breeze, she sighed.  It was time to get down to the reason she'd dragged him up here.  "How'd you get them again?" she asked conversationally, as if wings were nothing more than the latest fashion craze in Sairaag.  

"Again?  I never told you to begin with," Zelgadis muttered.  Lina assumed that this was the end of the conversation until he asked, "Do you remember Grou?"

"How could I forget?" Lina asked, tapping her shoulder for emphasis.  "It still hurts when it rains."  She didn't add that it hurt when it was sunny too.  Not to mention foggy.  Heck, it pretty much hurt constantly.  In truth, she hardly noticed it anymore.  The throbbing pain had become just another annoying nag from a body that had suffered too much abuse.  "What about him?"

"What do you know about him?"

"Ah, a quiz, is that it?" Lina asked with a grin.  "Okay, let's see.  Grou was one half of a pair of twins born of the dark lord Dynast Grauscherra.  Supposedly, they were created when Dynast became jealous of Shabranigdo.  His sphere of influence being envy and avarice, it only makes sense, right?  Anyway, Shabranigdo created his lieutenants from his own flesh.  Dynast, wanting to do something equally impressive, tore a fang from his maw.  That became Grau, the demon of bone.  He then spat blood from the wound onto the ground creating Grou, demon of blood.  They were nowhere near the power of Shabranigdo or his firstborn servants and Dynast took that as a failure, but you'll find few demons more zealous in their service to the dark lord."

"The demon of blood," Zelgadis whispered pensively, staring down at his maimed hand.  He turned his cool gaze back on Lina and asked, "You remember… how Grou was defeated, don't you?"

"Yeah," Lina admitted, barely suppressing a shudder.  "Thanks for the nightmares, by the way.  What's that have to do anything?"

"I ingested his blood and I haven't been the same since.  First, there was the pain."  Zelgadis gestured to his wings and chuckled mirthlessly.  "Growing pains, I guess you could call them."

"Well, it's not 'that' bad is it?" Lina asked, trying to be as tactful as possible about it.  "You never know when a set of wings might come in handy after all.  Do they work?"

"I'd never even considered trying them," Zelgadis replied with a shake of his head.  "It's something to keep in mind, I suppose."  His voice dropped to a nervous whisper as he continued, "It didn't stop with the wings though.  I hear a voice.  Grou's voice, I think.  It's like a thousand needles in my brain.  And sometimes I think I can feel something moving inside of me."  He pointed at his chest.  "Here, I think.  And when I bled yesterday, it moved."

"What moved?" Lina whispered, frightened by the barely restrained panic in Zelgadis's voice.  He might be sarcastic, callous, and mean spirited at times, but he was not a coward.

"The blood.  It was alive, Lina.  It moved around, as if it were reaching for my attackers.  And then there's this."  Zelgadis hastily unwrapped his hand and thrust it forward for Lina's inspection.

"God, Zel!" Lina yelped, actually recoiling from the mangled digits and squeezing her eyes shut.  "Put that away!"  She'd glimpsed it for only a moment, but she doubted that she'd ever forget the image of the dragon burned into his palm.

"It wouldn't have happened a year ago," Zelgadis said with a shake of his head.  He hastily wrapped his hand up again, not liking its appearance any more than Lina.  "I was never a huge fan of Ceiphied, but I could tolerate symbols well enough.  I think that feeding on Grou has tainted me somehow."

"Why did you do it?" Lina asked, concern obvious on her face.  "Why hurt yourself like that?"

"I did it for Amelia.  She had to understand."  Zelgadis took a deep breath and held it for a moment, mulling over his next words.  "The same reason I just told you my suspicions.  For Amelia.  You can't understand how hard this is for me, Lina.  The constant thirst.  I used to be able to control it, but now I… I slip sometimes."

"Like with my horse," Lina said with a nod, making a mental note that Zelgadis still owed her sixty gold pieces.

Zelgadis took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, like the horse."  He neglected to mention the fact that his desires had turned more towards humanity.  "Lina, I have a favor to ask."  He sighed when he saw the suspicious look on Lina's expression.  "I don't need money," he grumbled.  "Like I was saying, I can't always control myself anymore and I'm worried… you know, about Amelia."  Taking a deep breath, he struggled to fight off the demon's protests to what he was about to suggest.  "I… I want you to kill me if-ack!"

Before Zelgadis could finish, Lina had flung a hard elbow into his throat, abruptly silencing him.  Not missing a beat, she shoved him down and straddled his chest.  She kept her forearm pressed against his windpipe, lest he try to give her a 'suggestion' as he had during the Hellmaster incident.  Before the vampire's horrified eyes, she slipped a hand down the front of her blouse and produced a wicked looking stake.  Smiling sadly, she raised it overhead and said, "May the light of the Flare Dragon… ugh…"  Her entire body seemed to droop and the stake fell from her limp fingers.  The world had suddenly doubled and even if she'd kept her hold on the stake, she wouldn't know which Zel to plunge it into.

Seeing his chance, Zelgadis put a hand on Lina's face and shoved her off of him.  She fell to the ground in utter exhaustion and he quickly scrabbled back, putting a few feet between himself and his would be killer.  "God, Lina!" he croaked through his bruised windpipe.  "Can I finish talking first?!"

Lina lay limply on her side, gasping for air.  She nodded weakly, indicating that Zel could say his piece.  After all, she wasn't really in the best shape to carry out his request for a mercy killing right now.

"Thanks," Zelgadis grumbled.  "What I was trying to say is that if I lose control, I'd like you to do what needs to be done.  I know it's hard, but…"  Glancing into Lina's eyes, he sighed wearily.  Who was he kidding?  "Listen, is it too much to ask that you at least pretend that you're agonizing a bit over the idea of killing me?"

"Sorry, Zel," Lina weakly replied.  She struggled to pick herself up from the ground but failed miserably.  Maybe a few moments more, then she could give it another try.  She looked up to see Zelgadis looming over her menacingly.  Oh great, if he decided to do something now, she'd be powerless to stop him.

Zelgadis looked down at the fallen Slayer quizzically.  Why wasn't he thirsty?  It had been burning his insides for several days now, but now that he actually had a potential victim, he found that he did not want her.  How strange.  He had been ready to fight tooth and nail against Grou to keep from taking her, but the demon seemed content to sit back and watch for the moment.

"Hey, don't tear it!" Lina protested as Zelgadis grabbed the front of her blouse and pulled her bodily to her feet.  She leaned heavily on him for support as he began to help her back down the hill.  "Sorry, I couldn't kill you," she whispered tiredly, an involuntary shudder running through her form.  Despite her rash actions, she hadn't tried to kill him out of cruelty.  He was irritating, moody, and potentially dangerous, but she loved teasing the guy and he was pretty smart too.  He wasn't so bad, really.

No, Lina had wanted to end Zel's life as a mercy.  Possessions rarely ended well and the hosts were usually pushed to do horrible things.  And she had no desire to see Amelia harmed.  In the end, even if the victims were released, the guilt and shame of the ordeal usually left them broken shells of humanity.  

Besides, Lina thought, there was no telling how far the changes in Zel would go.  She'd never heard of a possessed vampire before and-  "Pecans!" she shrieked excitedly, her train of thought abruptly derailing and careening into a nearby pecan tree.

"What?!" Zelgadis managed to get out just before he was violently shoved over the side of a nearby embankment.  Apparently, Lina still had a bit of fight in her, he realized just before tumbling headlong into a patch of particularly thorny bushes.  A few painful minutes later, he dragged himself back up to the path and stared daggers at Lina's back.  His face was a mass of shallow cuts and thorny branches clung tenaciously to his hair, his cloak, and wherever else they could snag.  "Lina…" he growled irritably.

Lina ignored Zelgadis for the time being, having something far more important to focus her attentions upon.  Pecans.  Lovely, lovely pecans.  Not having anything better to work with, she cracked the shells between her teeth and greedily picked through the remains for bits of nut.  She felt ever so much better now that she had a bit of food in her stomach.  "Hey, Zel," she said cheerfully, noting that he'd gotten himself back on the path.  "Want some?" she asked, extending a hand full of pecans.  Not the cracked ones of course.  Those were hers.  Let him crack his own if he wanted to eat.

Zelgadis shook his head.  He had a troubled look on his face.  "It's strange.  What do you make of it, Lina?" he asked, nodding in the direction of the village.

Sitting under the tree, her cheeks stuffed with nuts, at that moment Lina resembled nothing so much as a deranged chipmunk.  "Whufat?" she asked, spraying Zelgadis with bits of pecan.  

Sighing in consternation, Zelgadis brushed the half chewed food off his cloak.  "The forest and the village," he replied gesturing to everything around them.  "Tulips don't bloom at the same time that pecans fall, do they?"  As if to drive home his point, another nut fell from the tree to land on Lina's head.

"Well, gee, I dunno," Lina said with a shrug.  "I don't know the first thing about plants.  I kill things, not grow them."  Saying that, she set back into her makeshift meal.  "Sure you don't want any, Zel?"

"What the hell…?" Zelgadis mumbled, totally perplexed by what he was looking at.  "Lina, take a look at this."  Before the redhead had a chance to protest, he'd put his hands around her waist, effortlessly yanked her off the ground, and set her on his shoulder so that she might have a better look.  "See it?" he asked.

Lina scowled at the idea of being torn away from her food and was about to smack Zelgadis on the back of the head when she saw what he was looking at.  "What the hell…?" she mumbled, echoing his earlier sentiment exactly.  "How'd I miss that?"

It wasn't really Lina's fault that she hadn't noticed as the differences were very subtle at first glance.  Green trees at the very height of their summer vibrancy surrounded the village.  However, as one moved away from the village, slight changes could be seen.  The leaves were a little darker, sometimes starting to turn their autumn colors of reds and oranges.  From their perch on the hill, it became obvious that there was a vaguely circular boundary around the village.  Everything within it lived.  Everything outside was slowly succumbing to winter.

Exchanging perplexed looks, Lina and Zelgadis examined their own surroundings.  Apparently, they were at the border between the two areas as both blooming trees and shedding ones surrounded them.  It was as if Ceiphied had become confused and flung both seasons together.  Great.  As if they didn't have enough to figure out.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lina suggested, "Well… maybe Gourry's found something.  We should go back and check."  She shrugged hopelessly.  There wasn't much else to do up here.

"Lina, this isn't really the best time for levity," Zelgadis grumbled as he started down the hill, the redhead still perched on his shoulder.

"I'm not trying to be funny!" Lina growled.  "He might know something.  Gourry did grow up here and he's not nearly as dumb as you think."

************************************************************************

"Okay, I'll go right and you go left."

"Right!"

"No, left!"

Gourry and Jillas were having a meeting of the minds, so to speak.  On their trek through the forest, they'd seen a rabbit and being incredibly hungry had immediately given chase.  One thing had led to another and the two hapless hunters now had their heads lodged in either end of a hollowed out log with the extremely irate hare stuck in the middle.  Who knew that rabbits could bite so hard?

"Here he comes again!" Gourry yelped, his hands scrabbling at the exterior of the log in a vain attempt to dislodge his head.  He clutched the unlit Sword of Light in his right hand, using it as a club against the unyielding wood.  His first instinct after getting stuck had been to cut himself free.  It had been a good plan.  But then the rabbit had charged and concentration had gone out the window when it'd latched onto his face.  He didn't bat an eye when facing down dead men, but throw a cute little bunny at him and he turned to mush.

"Don' show fea'!  'E's more' afraid o' ye then you'r 'im!" Jillas instructed, as if he hadn't received a handful of bites of his own.  A moment later, he struggled to remember his own advice as the rabbit slowly turned to face him.  It pawed the bottom of the log, scraping wood shavings back into Gourry's mistreated face.

Jillas tried to make eye contact with the hare.  It would obviously be intimidated by the superior creature, right?  He fixed his one good eye on the rabbit's and was cowed by the animalistic fury hidden there.  "Devil bunny!" he shrieked in terror as the vicious ball of fur thundered down the length of the log and launched itself at his face.

Gourry was normally the most reasonable of men.  True, he was never going to pen the definitive treatise on vampires, but he had his share of common sense.  But that went right out the window when Jillas confirmed his suspicions about the rabbit with his "devil bunny" yell.  He'd suspected it as soon as the monster had taken a bite out of his nose.

In any case, both men panicked simultaneously and somehow managed to throw themselves off balance, tumbling down an embankment.  Their cries echoed through the woods for a moment and then silence reigned again.

************************************************************************

Amelia could scarcely believe what she was experiencing.  There was a strange sensation of having done everything before, but it was different as well.  It felt like déjà vu done all wrong.  For instance, right now she knew that Mister Zelgadis should be sitting next to her even though she knew that he and Miss Lina had gone off somewhere earlier that morning to "discuss things" as the redhead had so enigmatically put it.  Oh dear.  She really hoped that they didn't kill each other.

Further fretting would have to wait it seemed as Aqua entered the room bearing a bouquet of tulips.  She saw Amelia sitting up in bed and smiled at her.  "Oh good!  You're awake," she said cheerfully, arranging the flowers in a vase on the bedside table.  "I expect you're probably tired of staring at the walls, so I thought I'd add a bit of color to your surroundings."  She moved over to the window and opened the shutters to reveal several young children standing outside.  "The children picked them for you when they heard that you weren't feeling well."

Realizing that she'd been in bed for a day and a half, Amelia blushed slightly, trying to compose her extremely wild hair while attempting to adopt an air that suggested that she hadn't been sleeping for the last twelve hours or so.  Unfortunately, her efforts were most likely useless and she abandoned them in favor of smiling warmly at the children and waving to them in thanks.  Her effort earned a lot of smiles and laughter in return.  Her cheerful expression faded a bit as she recalled what had happened to the children, what was still going to happen.  "Auntie, what happened yesterday?" she asked, still not quite understanding what had occurred.  It felt like a dream.

Further talk about yesterday was obviously not what Aqua wanted to hear and she frowned.  It had been terribly disconcerting when Lina had asked for that particular dress earlier in the day and talked about the man sleeping in the flowers.  "I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean, young lady," she cautiously admitted.

"Yesterday, Auntie," Amelia reiterated, feeling terrible that she had to upset the poor woman.  "What were we doing yesterday?"

"Well, that was when you came into town."  Aqua busied herself straightening the curtains so she wouldn't have to fully commit her thoughts to the conversation.  "Gourry arrived and we had a bit of a party.  You and your friends ate more than I've ever seen anyone eat before."  A hopeful expression on her face, she asked, "Do you suppose you and your friends had a bit too much to drink?  A young girl like you should really show a bit more self restraint."

The implication wasn't lost on Amelia.  If they'd all been drunk, it might explain their weird behavior this morning.  She shook her head and said, "I don't drink, Auntie.  I tried it once and well… wine and the high wire don't go together very well."  She laughed embarrassedly, hoping that the old woman would join in as well.  She didn't.  "I'm really sorry."  She looked down at the bed, lost in thought.  Had she just apologized for not being drunk?

A cheerful yell from outside the window drew the acrobat's attention.  The children were playing tag in the street, darting to and fro as if they didn't have a care in the world.  Everyone was that way.  Except for one boy.  Feigning a yawn, she said, "I think I'm going to take a nap, auntie," and made a show of slipping under the blanket and closing her eyes.  

"That's an excellent idea," Aqua said, nodding in agreement.  "You don't want to overexert yourself after your injury, you know."  After fidgeting with the flowers a bit more, she left the room.

Amelia pretended to sleep for a moment longer before one cerulean eye cautiously opened.  She was alone.  Good.  She quickly threw the blanket off and sat up.  A little too quickly it seemed as the room began to swim momentarily.  She braced herself against the wall and closed her eyes until the dizziness passed.  It was bad, but not nearly as bad as it had been yesterday.  She was healing.  Miss Lina had been right.  Yesterday was no dream.

Moving as quickly as she could, Amelia stuffed her pillow under the blanket, trying to make it look as if she were still in bed.  She grimaced as she looked her surrogate over.  It wouldn't pass more than the most casual inspection, but it would have to do.  Making it to her feet with some effort, she half walked, half staggered over to the window.  She cautiously poked her head out and looked for any witnesses.  The children were engrossed in their game of tag and Aqua was nowhere to be seen.  

Getting one leg up on the ledge, Amelia was overcome by a wave of dizziness and fell headlong into the bush below with a quiet yelp.  Luckily, she kept her senses enough to avoid breaking her neck on impact.  That would be quite a sight, she thought glumly, her dead in the bush with her legs sticking out the top.  

Rolling when she hit the ground, Amelia popped out of the bush amidst a minor explosion of leaves.  She sat under the window for a moment pondering exactly how furious Lina would be that she'd gone out again.  Sadly, it couldn't be helped.  She wanted to see Marco and help him.  Besides, he seemed like a smart boy.  Maybe he knew something about what was happening here.

"Miss Lina was right," Amelia chided herself as she picked a leaf from her dark hair, "here I am wandering off alone again."  It didn't dissuade her as she hastily slunk off into the nearby forest.  If she was quick enough, she might be able to get back before anyone noticed her absence.

************************************************************************

Amelia's ruse lasted for all of five minutes before Lina and Zelgadis returned from their little excursion.

Lina barged into the bedroom, uncaring of the fact that Amelia was apparently asleep.  "Amelia!" she yelled.  "Amelia, it's time to get up!  Did Gourry come back yet?"  She reached out to shake the slumbering girl awake and came away with a pillow.  "Damn it!" she sighed with a roll of her eyes.  "I knew that girl wouldn't stay in bed."

"That's not the half of it," Zelgadis said with a frown.  He leaned out the window and there was the rustling of leaves as he picked something out of the bush.  "Look at this."  Careful not to let it touch his bare skin, he lifted Amelia's medallion from a branch by its chain.  Apparently, she'd lost it when she'd made her escape.

The two exchanged concerned looks.  Amelia was out in the woods alone, weakened by her ordeal, with no protection.  Even if they somehow managed to stop what was going to happen that afternoon, there was still the matter of the vampire lurking somewhere out in the wild.  When the darkness came, she'd be an easy target.

************************************************************************

Gourry was the first to come around, groaning in pain at the headache that threatened to split his skull wide open.  He sat up and curiously took in his surroundings.  The shattered remains of the log he and Jillas had briefly cohabitated were scattered about him.  The cause of his freedom was readily apparent; he and the dazed fox were sitting at the base of a huge tree.  Apparently, they'd struck it as they fell.  Thankfully, the rabbit from hell had apparently decided to withdraw after thoroughly incapacitating its attackers.

Jillas shook his head, clearing out the cobwebs.  "What 'appened?" he grumbled, his equilibrium destroyed by the rolling followed by the sudden stop at the end.  The forest looked as if it were spinning and he saw two of Gourry sitting beside him.  Having double vision was rather odd, given the fact that he only had one eye, but he chalked it up to extreme disorientation.

"How long were we out?" Gourry wondered aloud, looking for the sun overhead.  They had come to rest in something of a ravine in a particularly dense area of forest.  A wall of loose clay rose from the floor about a dozen feet over his head.  It was amazing that he or Jillas hadn't broken their necks falling down here.  It'd be hard to climb, but he'd help his animalistic up and get up himself once the fox found a vine or something to help him.  It might take a while, but it was nothing to panic about.  What was upsetting was the fact that the sun was nowhere to be seen.  He had to assume that it was afternoon then.  A chill ran down his spine and he quickly climbed to his feet.  There wasn't much time left before sunset then.

Already, the wind was picking up, stirring the dead leaves about the two men; a harbinger of the storm to come.  The trees swayed in the breeze, groaning almost as if they were in pain.

Gourry and Jillas exchanged nervous looks and quickly decided that getting back to shelter was the top priority at the moment.  Even though they hadn't found anything, it would be far better to be back where they could defend those that they were bound to; Jillas by loyalty and Gourry by love.

Gourry lifted his much smaller companion atop his shoulders and steadied him as he tried to reach the top of the embankment.  Despite the fox's best efforts, the edge of the ravine remained just out of reach.  Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as they'd originally thought.

Then, much to Jillas's chagrin, Gourry had a brainstorm.  He dropped the fox from his shoulders and seized him by the front of his cloak.  "Hold on tight."  He then hefted the smaller man off his feet.

"What're ye doin'?!" Jillas yelped, his feet beating the air uselessly.

"Don't worry!" Gourry said with a knowing smile.  "Lina does this to me all the time!"  Before Jillas had a chance to protest further, he swung the fox around and flung him towards the top of the ledge, shouting "Jellyfish!" to complete the effect.  He grinned as he watched his companion soar through the air.  "You're going to make it!" he yelled.

Jillas apparently didn't share Gourry's optimism on the subject.  He yowled in terror arms flailing uselessly as he flew into the wall a full five feet under the ledge with a sickening splat.  The loose clay held him there for a moment before gravity took hold and pulled him back to the bottom of the ravine.

"I was sure that was going to work," Gourry mumbled thoughtfully as he trotted over to where Jillas was shakily climbing to his feet.  "Are you okay?" he asked, helping the smaller man brush himself off.

"Oh mummy, that really 'urt," Jillas whimpered, rubbing his backside.  "Somethin' sharp on the groun'."  Wiping a big clump of mud from his face, he knelt back down, cautiously probing the pile of dead leaves in search of whatever it was that had stabbed him.

Thoughts of getting back to Lina temporarily forgotten, Gourry knelt next to Jillas and helped him search shuffle through the leaves.  "No, pile them up downwind," he instructed.  "We might as well have them blow away instead of onto us, right?"

Despite the wind's attempts to hamper their efforts, perseverance eventually won out and Gourry and Jillas found themselves standing over… something.  A mass of muddy and pale shards of bone jutted from the ground enveloped by a few scraps of yellow cloth.

"What is it?" Jillas muttered curiously.  He sniffed the pile and grimaced.  "Been dead fo' a while, whateva' it is."

Gourry cocked his head thoughtfully and knelt back down next to the remains.  He brushed a bit more dirt from the mangled cloth and pulled it free of the earth.  He examined the yellow rag for a moment before sighing regretfully and letting it fly away in the breeze.  "It's a little girl."

A dozen feet away, the tattered remains of the child's skirt snagged on a tree branch and fluttered in the wind.  

************************************************************************

"Sarah!"  Marco's voice cracked midway through his friend's name, making it sound like a croak.  He winced and rubbed his throat.  He'd been calling her name for an hour and was starting to lose his voice.  It didn't stop him though.  Somehow, he knew that something was wrong.  She'd never been late before and he was going to find out what was wrong.

It would be nice to get a drink of water though.  Marco coughed, an extremely painful sound.  He was going hoarse and his throat felt like sandpaper.  He desperately took in his surroundings, looking for a stream, puddle, or even a leaf filled with the last remnants of the morning dew.  Anything would do at this point.

It was an extremely pleasant surprise when he heard the sound of water dripping nearby.  He quickly located the source of the noise.  It was a small hole in the ground, so overgrown that he hadn't even seen it.  Luckily for him, he hadn't stepped in it.  He probably would have broken his ankle.  Curious, he lay down in the grass and cautiously peered into the opening.

What he'd first assumed was a small rut in the ground actually turned out to be a decent sized opening.  Cool air blew in Marco's face, indicating that it stretched fairly far into the earth.  It wasn't nearly large enough to be called a cave, but was just wide enough for an ambitious young man to wiggle into, which he proceeded to do.  There was something creepy about the darkness, but there was water down there somewhere and it was rather exciting.  He'd have to remember to tell Sarah about this when he found her.

Ever so slowly, Marco made his way into the darkness, drawn on by the tantalizing sound of water…

"Marco?"

Marco was startled to hear someone call his name.  He backed out of the opening, the water momentarily forgotten.  "Um, hello?" he said hesitantly as he saw who had hailed him.  A beautiful young woman with short dark hair and a kind look weakly leaned against a tree a few feet away.  She was deathly pale and he hastily climbed to his feet and rushed to her side.  "Are you okay, Miss?" he asked, taking her arm in case she should fall.

Amelia nodded sluggishly, as if doing so quickly would exhaust her even more.  "I'm fine," she explained.  "Did you find Sarah, yet?"

Releasing Amelia's arm and taking a step back in spite of himself, Marco asked, "Do I… know you?"  Try as he might, he couldn't recall ever seeing her before, but she seemed to know a lot about him.  It was a little disconcerting that this total stranger not only knew his name, but his purpose as well.

Amelia blinked in surprise.  Marco looked incredibly nervous.  "I'm Amelia," the acrobat said with a warm smile.  She knelt down so that she had to look up into his eyes.  A lifetime of working in the circus had taught her that children were less intimidated by adults if you put yourself on their level.  "I was helping you look for Sarah, remember?"

Marco eyed the raven-haired girl suspiciously, recalling old stories about spirits in the forest that snatched misbehaving children.  His mother had told him the story when he was six and had hidden out in the woods all night long worrying her to no end.  Even at such an age, he'd been smart enough to question the validity of that story.  After all, he ran away into the woods for a night and his mother just happened to tell that story the next day?  It was a little dubious.  But now…

"You want to help me find Sarah?"  Marco took a hesitant step towards the girl.  Somehow, he knew that she wasn't some ghost come to take him away.  She looked too friendly for that.  Even in her weakened state, Amelia exuded an air of generosity and kindness that couldn't be denied.

Sensing that she was on the verge of befriending the boy again, Amelia smiled.  "I do."

Taking Amelia by the arm, Marco gently helped her to her feet.  "Why?"

Amelia's smile faltered somewhat and she looked down at the sapphire bracelet that Zelgadis had given her a lifetime ago.  She wondered briefly if the kind man she had once known would ever really return.  "Because, one of my friends is lost too.  And I know it hurts a lot."

That was enough for Marco and hand in hand with Amelia; he began his search for Sarah anew.

Unnoticed by either of them, dark clouds swirled ominously in the distance and the first faint echoes of thunder could be heard on the breeze.  The hour was growing late and soon the sun would set.

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Night falls once again and Lina finds herself facing the past, both near and distant.  All alone against the coming darkness, will Amelia live to see the dawn?

Notes:  Ugh, ugh, ugh!  You have no idea how much I've struggled with this chapter.  It's been one of the hardest that I've ever written, ranking right up there with… well, I can't even think of anything comparable.  *passes out*  Hope you all enjoyed it.

Reviewer Response:

Ichiban, as you can see, everyone isn't undead… or are they?  Lina did lose her head after all.  Maybe she and the others don't know that they're dead is all.

Well, I wasn't really going for an abstract feeling, Kaitrin, but I guess that's how it came out.  I didn't really expect anyone to buy the notion that everyone was dead.  I wouldn't end the story without answering all the questions, after all.  It'd just be wrong.

Otaku Girl, how's the next chapter of your story coming?  I can't believe that you thought bad things about poor Marco.  He's such a nice boy, after all…

*sheepish grin*  Well, I wouldn't put it quite like THAT, Stara.  I'm not bored, I promise.  There is a method to my madness.  I guess that answers my question as to whether or not you read the end of Chimera Tales though.  And yeah, I do feel a lot better now that some blood has been spilled.  We're all calm now…

…, Dragonet.

Pogo, thank you so very much for your help on this chapter.  *hugs*  It probably would have been another week or even two if you hadn't set me straight.

Well, as you can see Ari-chan, they aren't dead, but they aren't really happy either…

Masaki, no Sylphiel yet, but she may appear at the end of the story.  As for Revival, I am probably going to rewrite it at some point.  It was my first decent sized fic and I want to see if I can make it better.  Maybe Sylphiel will sneak in there at some point, we'll just have to wait and see.


	35. The Beginning Ends

 Crickets chirped in the semi gloom, eagerly welcoming the oncoming darkness.  As the sun went down, Sarah and Marco's time together grew short.  However, neither of them was willing to admit it.  They stood on the outskirts of the village, making small talk, trying to ignore the inevitable goodbyes.

Since Marco's promise, things had subtly shifted between them.  He was a little more considerate, which meant, given his normal way of behavior, he didn't try to put spiders in Sarah's hair anymore…  Well, not quite as often, in any case.

For her part, Sarah didn't criticize him nearly as much as she had before and actually resisted gloating when she beat him at whatever games they played.

"Marco!" a woman's voice called, putting an end to any hopes the boy had about staying out longer.  "Marco, I know you can hear me," she yelled in that patient yet insistent way that mothers have.  "Come in and get washed up for dinner."  As far as she was concerned, the conversation was over and she went back inside.

"Well, that was my mom," Marco said with a sigh, as if Sarah had never met the woman before.  He turned to leave, but stopped short, having been struck by a brilliant idea.  "You know, I could walk you home," he suggested.  "It's pretty dark and I could always say that I didn't hear her."

Sarah rolled her eyes and grabbed Marco by the shoulders.  "What am I, six?  I can walk home myself.  It's not that far."  Before he could protest, she'd spun him around and shoved him in the general direction of his house.  "Go home," she sternly instructed.  "If you get in trouble with your mom, you won't be able to play tomorrow, right?"

Reluctantly seeing the logic in Sarah's words, Marco sighed and threw her a halfhearted wave before moving towards the front door.  He reached the threshold and was bathed in the comforting light of the fireplace; the tantalizing scent of beef stew assailed his nostrils, coaxing him into the house.  

At the last possible second, he tore himself away from the promise of food and glanced over his shoulder, looking for Sarah in the dark.  When he finally saw her, she was little more than a silhouette in the moonlight and he shuddered involuntarily.  She looked like a ghost.  Something about her appearance had given him a terrible start and he wanted to prolong their parting as long as possible.  Things didn't feel right.  "Well… what time were we supposed to meet tomorrow?"  

"Stupid head!" Sarah called out in a teasing way, "About noon, remember?  By the oak!"  She was of course referring to the massive oak tree that marked the halfway point between their two villages and had been their meeting place for two years now.

"Right!" Marco called back, a little louder than necessary.  A cloud passed over the moon, temporarily throwing Sarah into the shadows.  This frightened him even more.  He held onto the doorframe, his knuckles white with strain.  If he let go, he knew he'd run back out into the dark and tell her how scared he was.  She'd probably call him a dork or something if he did that.  "W-Well," he stammered, trying to find a comfortable compromise between running out to her and leaving her alone in the dark,  "um, what time were we meeting again?"  He felt like a moron asking her again, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.  Anything to keep her from leaving.

"Good night, Marco!" Sarah said, sounding somewhat irritated at the boy's behavior.  She turned on her heel and walked off into the forest.

And that was the last that Marco ever saw of his best friend.

************************************************************************

"Damn it, Amelia," Lina whispered to herself as she sat on the edge of the bed.  She held her friend's pillow, twisting it over and over in her worry.  Her incessant fretting had worn a hole in the fabric and a thin layer of down was quickly coating her lap.  She didn't even notice.  She felt so useless; knowing that it was pointless to go charging off in a random direction in search of the girl.  They'd have to wait for Jillas to return and hope that he would be able to track her.  There had to be a logical reason for Amelia to get out of bed when she wasn't feeling well, climb out the window, and sneak off into the forest.  But then again, this was Amelia she was thinking about.  Sporting a grin she didn't really feel, she shrugged and muttered, "She probably jumped out of bed because she saw a puppy limping outside the window," only half joking.

Zelgadis grunted noncommittally in response, preferring to keep his concerns to himself for the moment.  "She wouldn't have left without a good reason," he muttered thoughtfully.  "Do you think that maybe Xellos…?"

"…called her out into the forest with some mystical mental powers?" Lina finished.  A terse shake of the head was followed by a sigh of exasperation.  "That's a load of garbage, Zel.  Vampires don't share any sort of mental bond with their victims.  You should know that.  You are a vampire, right?"

"Something like that," Zelgadis muttered, indicating that she'd get nothing else out of him on the subject.  "I've never fed on a human before.  I don't know what the repercussions are."  It was obvious that admitting that he didn't know something was incredibly irritating for him.  He scowled and stared at his semitransparent reflection in a small mirror resting atop the bureau, one of Amelia's personal effects.  She'd told him that she'd saved for a month and a half to afford it.

It was a modest thing, a small bit of glass framed in simple wooden frame covered in gold paint that was beginning to fade away from wear.  The image of an armored knight adorned the left side of the frame, a confident look on his face.  The other side bore a relief of a beautiful princess, presumably the beloved of the noble knight on the left.  How very like Amelia to choose something so simple and wonderful.  She'd told Zelgadis all about it during their flight from Sairaag; that and anything else she could think of to keep his mind off what they'd lost back in the city:  their futures.

Heresy.  The idea that one had done something so terrible that Ceiphied would never again shine his holy light upon you; to be cast out by friends and family, denied shelter, rest, and comfort for the rest of your life and then death followed by an eternity of torment.  A special place in Hell awaited those vile enough to be cast out by the High Priest.

It had affected them all.  Lina had taken it hardest, spending many nights away from the comforting warmth of their campfire, almost seeming to punish herself with the night chill.  Gourry didn't really comprehend what had happened, but he knew that it made Lina miserable and that, in turn, made him miserable.  Even Jillas, a creature who didn't even believe in the ideals of the church, was upset by what had happened; some of the first really nice people he'd ever met, laid low because of his actions.

Amelia had been the only one immune to the depression that had affected the rest of them.  Even as they were in a state akin to mourning, she continued to smile, tirelessly struggling to give hope where there was none and bring cheer where it wasn't welcome.

Zelgadis was startled out of his thoughts by a drop of water striking the surface of the mirror, distorting his reflection.  He frowned when he noted that his misshapen thumbnail had drawn a long scratch down the face of the princess in the frame, marring her beauty for all time.  Wonderful.  

Another drop of water struck the reflecting glass and Zelgadis glanced upwards, thinking that there was a leak in the roof, intending to move Amelia's things if that turned out to be the case.  The storm was ominously close after all; thunder rumbled in the distance.  The ceiling looked sturdy enough, with nary a bit of light shining through.  It had been built exceptionally well.  So, where…?

A reassuring hand on his arm drew Zelgadis's attention to Lina.  She stood at his side, a warm smile upon her face.  It wasn't something that she usually did and he was momentarily taken aback.  "It's okay," she said quietly.  "We'll find her."

"What?" Zelgadis whispered, not understanding what Lina had meant.  Of course they were going to find her!  He hadn't even considered the possibility that they wouldn't.  Another drop fell on the mirror and he looked down at it, struggling to comprehend what he was seeing.  The man reflected in the glass was crying, which could only mean…

Mortified that anyone had seen him this way, especially Lina, Zelgadis quickly, but carefully, set the mirror back down on the dresser and swiped at the offending tears with his thumb.  He'd thought that he was lonely before, having only servants to keep him company, but that was nothing compared to how he felt now.  Even now, with Amelia only gone for the last hour or so, he felt lonely.  What if she got lost?  What if Xellos found her first?  What if…?

Slamming his fist down on the bureau hard enough to make Amelia's things rattle, Zelgadis decided that he wouldn't wait a moment longer.  Even if it were pointless, it'd be better to be out there looking for her than waiting around hoping that Jillas would show up.  He turned to Lina, meaning to tell her to wait for Jillas before following, but was struck silent by a strong, yet pleasant scent.  He looked down to see Amelia's perfume, a cheap little bottle that smelled strongly of jasmine, turned on its side, its contents dripping out onto the wooden surface.

Staring at it a moment longer, brow furrowed in thought, Zelgadis suddenly glanced up at Lina and snapped, "I'm going to find Amelia and-"

"Yeah, yeah," Lina muttered sarcastically.  "Let's see if I've got this right."  She began to list on her fingers the points that Zel had been about to make.  "I'd only slow you down.  Wait here for Jillas.  Don't run off alone.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.  Did I miss anything?  No?" She made a big show of waving him off and wandering over to collapse on the bed.  "Okay then, have a good time out there, Zel."  Her hands were shaking again and she quickly, not to mention obviously, faked a yawn and a stretch before lacing her fingers together behind her head.

Zelgadis received a mental impulse from the redhead, not so much a thought as a feeling.  It was fear.  No.  Fear didn't do the feeling justice.  This was abject terror.  He stared at her for a moment, wondering at the self-control she was exhibiting to maintain such a calm demeanor.  Sure, she was fidgeting uncontrollably, constantly shifting positions on the bed, her breathing too quick to be normal, but still, she sat.  He would have been curled up on the floor if he'd felt like that.  "I'll be back soon," he muttered in way of goodbye, wanting to say something more reassuring, but not knowing what she needed to hear.  Besides, he reluctantly admitted as he stepped out of the room, she was tougher than he was anyway.  She'd be fine.

"Zel?!" Lina impulsively called out.  When he poked his head back into the room, she grinned stupidly, knowing that she wasn't being rational, and said, "Be careful out there."

************************************************************************

In the sky, a great race was underway.  The sun seemed to move with abnormal speed towards the horizon, almost as if trying to outpace the oncoming clouds.  It was a lost cause, however.  The first tendrils of blackness greedily reached out to envelop it just before it sank behind the hills.  Light was coming to an end, overwhelmed by both nightfall and blackness.

The bizarre shift in the weather overhead went largely unnoticed in the forest below.  Most things had far more important concerns on their minds than whether it rained or not, usually something as simple as survival.  It wasn't unusual to see animals scrounging about for any bit of food available.  In one particular case a pair of wild dogs, their fur stretched across prominently displayed ribs, were scrounging around a particularly interesting spot in recently turned earth.  The scent of fresh death permeated the air driving the animals into a near frenzy of pawing and scratching.  Whatever it was had been buried quite shallowly and it would be only a few moments more before they unearthed it.

A human hand, gaunt and caked with dried blood was the first thing to be exposed.  Pale fingers almost glowed despite the lack of any light whatsoever.  The storm was on the verge of erupting overhead and dark clouds blocked out both sun and newly risen moon.

The mangier of the two mutts lunged forward, meaning to snatch up the exposed hand before its companion had a chance to.  It bit down hard and violently shook its head, flinging great strands of saliva from its mouth as it did so.

Before the mongrel even had a chance to apply much pressure, the hand sprang to life, instinctively closing into a fist.  This had unpleasant effect of snapping the dog's lower jaw like a toothpick.  Hungry growls turned immediately to muffled whines of pain as the ground shifted beneath both animals, something dark stirring in the cool earth.

The dirty mongrel tried to pull away, meaning to run off into the forest but it was quite impossible.  The dead thing's grip was incredibly strong, its fingers actually piercing tongue, bone and fur, and the poor animal was helpless to resist as it was drawn towards the shallow grave.

The other animal, realizing that what had been prey was suddenly the hunter, turned to bolt off into the woods.  Before it made a single step, another hand erupted from the earth, snagging the beast's leg.  It squeezed, easily shattering bone; the dog would never run again even if it were to survive the next thirty seconds of its life.

The vampire had a firm grip on the first animal; driving one's fingers through something's face had that effect, but it wasn't quite as satisfied with the grip on the second.  Only a hunk of meat attached the leg to the dog's body and that might tear away at any moment.  So, it released its viselike grip and quickly moved up to grab the dog's haunch, driving fingers into flesh up to the second knuckle.  It held on for a moment longer before repeating the action, this time hooking its fingers about the ribcage.  It moved up the dog's body this way until it caught hold of the throat.  A moment later, it had dashed the dogs' skulls together, turning bone, brain, and flesh into so much mush.  The yowls immediately ceased and the beast began to feed.

Moments later, it stood, rising from its grave like a phoenix from the ashes, shrugging off death's grip like the daze after a restful nap.  Clumps of dirt rolled off its cloak, which may have been white at one time.  Now, it was stained black by the earth it had slept in and the blood of its victims.  The vampire leaned back, opening its arms wide in a gesture of welcome to the first fat drops of rain that began to fall, revealing the garments it wore beneath the cloak:  the shabby clothes of a well-traveled priest with an ornate scabbard depicting the Flare Dragon hanging from the belt.  The sword within glinted silver for just a moment before the last of the light faded.

It stood still as a statue arms out and face upturned as the drizzle became a torrent.  The dark stains on its outfit were washed away as if by magic.  After a few minutes, the dark creature was shrouded in pristine white again, all traces of earth and blood gone.

Only the bodies of the dogs, broken and abused like toys that had outlived their use, indicated that this thing was anything but an angel of mercy.  And even those bodies were being concealed by the rapidly rising water, having been tossed thoughtlessly into the shallow grave.

It was only then, that the vampire donned its hood and dropped its arms to its sides.  It was time for the hunt and…  With frightening abruptness, its head jerked to the side, nostrils flaring as it picked up a scent; the sweet smell of jasmine barely hinted at in the breeze.  Crouching predatorily, it suddenly darted off in a seemingly random direction.

The hunt was on.

************************************************************************

Lina lay back on the bed, too tired to stand even if she'd wanted to.  Hunger had a way of exhausting a person, it seemed.  Her snack that morning had been a blessing, filling her stomach like nothing else had the past few days.  Nuts and berries, she thought as she absentmindedly rubbed her hand over her poor mistreated belly in a vaguely circular motion.  It felt nice, taking her mind off her hunger a bit.  That was good.  If she wasn't thinking about food, she could concentrate on other things.

Things like that vampire.  Xellos, Amelia had called him.  Lina didn't know about that, but there was something familiar about the song that she'd mentioned.  It was a song of the church, describing Rezo the First's descent into darkness to save the light that he loved so dearly.  It was popular in most churches and she'd sung it a lot as a child, both in the church choir and at home.  She'd had a pretty voice, at least, that was what people had told her, but for some reason, she'd stopped singing a few years ago.  She'd just lost interest in it, it seemed.  Then again, maybe it was just because she really didn't have anything to sing about anymore.  Either way, the fact that a vampire, something denounced by the church as wicked and unclean, would sing such a song had been immensely upsetting.

Feeling more than a little melancholy, Lina sighed hurtfully and rolled onto her side, so that her face wouldn't immediately be visible from the door.  If she ended up crying, which she invariably would if she kept her train of thought about the vampire going, she didn't want anyone else to see it.  Under her breath, she began to whisper the words that were haunting her.  The hero and the darkness.  Steadily, and without her even realizing, her voice grew stronger and eventually she was singing, not loudly, but loudly enough for her to take some small comfort from it.

"You have a lovely voice, young lady."

Reluctantly ending her song, Lina somewhat tersely replied, "Thanks."  She hadn't been surprised by Aqua's entrance.  The tapping of her cane on the floor had tipped her off.  But, despite the fact that she was in someone else's home, she felt as if she had been intruded upon.  Her singing had been intended for her benefit alone.

"A song of the church, correct?" Aqua asked; her head cocked inquisitively.  "Please don't think me rude, child, but you don't strike me as the pious type."  She carefully lowered herself into the chair sitting next to the bed, nonverbally communicating to Lina that she meant to stay awhile.

Grimacing inwardly, Lina rolled over to face the old woman and explained, "Yeah, I get that a lot.  But, it kind of runs in my family… well, what family I had anyway.  My older sister was really devout and dragged me to church all the time.  After that, I lived with a priest for a while, so that kind of rubbed off a bit too."  She shrugged, not caring that such flippancy about service to Ceiphied was frowned upon.  After all, they'd already cast her out.  What else could they do?  "You said that like you weren't really sure, the thing about the song, I mean."

"Oh, well I wasn't.  I thought that I'd heard it before and it did sound pretty, but we don't have a real church out here.  We've never really had need for one."

Lina leaned forward, suddenly interested in what Aqua had to say.  "Church law states that every community has to have a priest to lead the people.  Without one, what's to keep you from going astray?"

"Astray?"  Aqua chuckled quietly.  "My dear, I trust you can keep a secret.  Not everyone in the holy empire believes in the divinity of Ceiphied."  The ominous rumble of thunder punctuated her words, as if the heavens themselves were outraged at this affront.  The rain began to fall on the roof a moment later, hissing monotonously against the shingles.

Shivering slightly, Lina unconsciously clutched the pillow to herself.  "That's… That's not really something you should say, Auntie."  Even though she was the most open minded of people she still cringed at the thought of someone denying Ceiphied.  After all, her own faith had helped her defeat the Hellmaster.  That had been proof enough for her that someone was calling the shots.

"Don't be offended," Aqua said, reaching out to pat Lina's hand reassuringly.  "I'm sorry if I've upset you."

Lina quickly shook her head.  "I'm not.  It's just that… well, I'd never really considered the possibility that there were people in the empire that didn't give praise to Ceiphied."  She felt stupid after admitting it; narrow minded really, but it was the truth.

"Oh, there used to be many beliefs in the old days.  History has a way of wiping away some things, but there are a few of us that still remember the old ways.  The time before the rise of Ceiphied."

Nodding eagerly, Lina scrabbled up to a sitting position, her hands folded in her lap as she listened attentively.  She bore a striking resemblance to a child hearing a much beloved fairy tale.  "And?  What was it like?"  History before the time of the church was rarely spoken about and with good reason; it was taboo.  Historians were exceedingly rare and those who did study it were invariably in the service of the church, interpreting history through rose tinted lenses.

Smiling kindly at Lina, Aqua leaned back in the chair, trying to make herself comfortable.  It was nice to see young people interested in history.  "Well, as you most likely know, the empire hasn't always existed.  Rezo the First formed it after he defeated the demon Hellmaster a thousand years ago.  Or at least," she said, winking at Lina knowingly, "that's how the story goes.  I don't really put much stock in stories of demons and saints myself."

Lina chuckled herself, wondering whether or not to correct the older woman.  In the end, she decided that she'd rather hear the rest of the story than get into a discussion of her own exploits.  Still, the whole situation was humbling, really.  She was one of two people to ever defeat Hellmaster.  A feat so enormous that most dismissed it as legend.  Who could say what had happened even farther back in human history?  Auntie could apparently and she was missing the old woman's story!  Shaking her head irately, she shoved thoughts of herself aside in favor of gleaning new information.

Aqua didn't seem to notice that Lina had drifted off for a moment.  "…of course, these are all just stories you know.  And stories have a tendency to take on a life of their own with enough retellings.  My own grandmother told me that the nation of Elmekia was the site of the final battle of the unification war."  She winked at Lina and stage whispered, "She told me later that she'd added that bit of embellishment because she'd been born in the region herself.  It just goes to show that nothing should be taken at face value."

Nodding thoughtfully, Lina ventured, "You mentioned people that didn't serve Ceiphied.  I suppose those people are the 'heathens' and 'barbarians' that Rezo had to put down to secure the safety of the empire.  They weren't really barbarians, were they, Auntie?"

"Well, if they were, they were the most passive barbarians I've ever heard of."  Aqua shook her head ruefully.  "Take the people of this region for instance.  Staunch pacifists, but still very devout."

Although she tried to hide it, Lina detected a bit of bitterness in Aqua's tone.  It was beginning to make sense.  "And I guess that those people didn't want to give up their faith, am I right?"

"Would you willingly surrender something that you believed in with all your heart?"

"So, what you're saying is…"  Lina let her thought trail off, the memory of the crypts under Sairaag haunting her memory.  There had been so many dead, hundreds of them. Thousands perhaps.  How many times had that happened in the name of the Flare Dragon?

Aqua shook her head.  "I'm not suggesting anything as I wasn't there to see it myself."  She winked good naturedly and said, "I'm not THAT old, child.  All I'm saying is that not everyone was pleased with the changes that the High Priest brought about.  Some still aren't."

"Meaning what, Auntie?  You and the other villagers?" Lina quietly asked.

"Nothing quite so recent, dear.  I'm speaking of those that came before.  It just feels as if… they weren't satisfied.  It must have been horrible.  Having your faith snatched away on a whim, well… it's wrong and sometimes I feel resentment, an unhappiness with the way things have turned out.  Out there," Aqua said, nodding towards the window, "I get a sense of restlessness at times.  Late at night."  Noting the way Lina was looking at her, Aqua smiled sheepishly.  "Don't mind me.  It's just a foolish story.  Restless spirits in the forest and all that nonsense."

Restless spirits.  Lina sighed thoughtfully.  It didn't seem like nonsense to her.  Everything about this place was just off.  Heck, even the time was wrong.  Apparently, these people had lost five years somewhere on the road.  It was bizarre.  On top of that, there was the talk about the church.  The more she learned, the less wholesome the entire Holy Church of Ceiphied seemed.  It'd all seemed so simple when she was a child.  Ceiphied was infallible and the High Priest was the human embodiment of the Flare Dragon.  It was so… right.  Had the religion of light come into being on the corpses of nonbelievers?

 "I've upset you."

"No, it's not that.  It's just that-"

Thankfully, Lina was spared the discomfort of having to explain her feelings by Gourry's entrance.  He leaned against the doorframe, panting heavily.  Just behind him stood Jillas.  Both of them were caked with mud, drenched, and looked positively miserable.

"Gourry!" Lina called out excitedly.  She jumped to her feet and ran over to her protector, stopping just short of flinging her arms around him.  He was dirty, after all and she didn't want to ruin her dress.

Gourry smiled wearily.  "Hey, Lina."  It had been incredibly tough getting out of that hole and trudging back to town in the torrential rain, but it was all worth it to see the beautiful redhead smiling at him.

"Are you ready to go back out?" she eagerly asked.

The grin on Gourry's face faltered ever so slightly.  No, that couldn't have been right.  Lina had said, "Are you ready to take a nap?" and he'd misheard her.  That had to be it.  Better make sure though.  "What'd you say, Lina?"

Lina's expression darkened.  "I said, are you ready to go back out?" she repeated, just the slightest hint of menace in her voice.

Gourry whimpered quietly, silently pleading with the redhead for a moment of rest.  Sadly, she seemed to be quite immune to plaintive looks and he sighed and turned to head back out into the storm.  

************************************************************************

Amelia and Marco sat together under a large tree, huddled together for warmth.  They'd sought refuge when it became obvious that the storm was going to get far worse before it got any better.  A bolt of lightning lit up the sky, briefly illuminating their frightened expressions.

It would be happening right about now, Amelia thought.  All those poor villagers were dying now if things went as they had yesterday.  Feeling a bit sad, she pulled Marco closer, hugging him tightly and trying to seek some small measure of comfort from the boy.  Miss Lina, Mister Zelgadis, Gourry…  She really hoped that they hadn't been in the village when everything happened.  She didn't want them to die and she most certainly didn't want to have to wander without them.  What if they didn't come back because she hadn't been with them?  What if she'd upset whatever pattern they were in?  It was so confusing and in all honesty, she felt like crying.  She was cold, wet, and miserable, but she refused to give in to despair.  After all, she had to stay brave for the frightened little boy sitting beside her.

For his part, the 'frightened little boy' was both enjoying and trying to ignore Amelia's… cushiness.  When she'd hugged him, she'd all but smothered him with her breasts, not that he was complaining or anything.  Apparently, the young woman was quite scared to be holding him this close and as a young man, it was only right, no his duty even, to comfort her in any way possible.   He wrapped his arms around her waist and sighed contentedly as he leaned more fully against the acrobat.

The poor boy, Amelia thought as she felt Marco slip his arms around her.  Maybe she should try talking to him to take his mind off whatever horrors he was contemplating.  "Sarah's pretty important to you, huh?" she asked.  

"Huh?!  Sarah?" Marco muttered, glancing up into Amelia's eyes guiltily.  He flushed bright red and quickly detached himself from her side.  Coughing, he mumbled, "She's my friend."  Not wanting to get further into the subject, he quickly asked, "What are you wearing?  It smells nice."

This time it was Amelia's turn to blush.  She'd put on a bit too much perfume that morning because she hadn't had a chance to bathe recently due to her attack.  "It's jasmine," she explained.  "It was a birthday present from my uncle."  Chuckling embarrassedly, she quickly batted another question back at Marco, lest he comment on the volume of perfume she was wearing.  "You seem to be going through a lot of trouble to help a friend.  Do you have a special reason?"

"Oh, well, I kinda told Sarah I'd help her…"  Waving dismissively, Marco muttered, "It was pretty stupid."

"What was?" Amelia asked, quite curious now.  There was something to the story that Marco didn't really want to share.

"I… I made a promise," Marco reluctantly admitted, acting as if Amelia were torturing the information out of him with hot pokers.  "I promised that I'd save her if she ever got into trouble."  Unable to meet her gaze, he instead found an interesting rock on the ground to stare at.  He could almost feel the steam coming off his cheeks as red as his face was.  "Like I said, it was just a stupid little thing, but… I don't want to let her down.  I can't."

"I don't think it sounds stupid," Amelia said, smiling at the boy.  "I think it sounds very chivalrous and brave for you to do that."  With a dreamy look on her face, she sighed wistfully and said, "The damsel in distress, waiting for her hero to ride in and save her.  How sweet."

Marco could have died of humiliation.  Sweet and chivalrous?  Damsels in distress?  Jeez, he just made a stupid promise was all!  It wasn't that big a deal, was it?  "Well…" he muttered, looking up at Amelia.  Despite the fact that she was drenched and her hair was a mess, she was still a vision of loveliness.  She still wore that dreamy expression on her face, like she was thinking of someone.  "Pardon me for asking, Miss, but do you have a boyfriend?"

"A boyfriend?!" Amelia jumped as if Marco had goosed her.  

"Yeah.  You looked like you were thinking of someone just then."

"Well, I was.  And I guess you could call him my boyfriend… or maybe not.  I don't really know how he feels and…"  Amelia shrugged helplessly.  "Maybe, I don't know.  I can't be sure if he likes me or if he just wants to eat me."  The incredulity of her statement hit her when she saw the utterly perplexed look on Marco's face.  "I don't mean 'eat' me, of course!" she hastily explained, chuckling nervously.  "I meant 'eat' me.  You know, as in 'maul' me, which of course means 'shower me with kisses'.  Because, we make out all the time."  She had the vague notion that as she spoke, she was digging the hole she was in that much deeper.  She knew that she couldn't have just told this child that she was constantly making out with Mister Zelgadis, but the expression on his face eloquently pointed out that she had…  Why hadn't the lightning struck her dead yet?!  She was so embarrassed she could die!  There it was, flashing menacingly overhead and serving no discernable purpose.  

"You're… pretty strange, Miss," Marco cautiously ventured as he watched Amelia draw her dagger and wave it around frantically in a vain attempt to call electric death down from above.  "Is he nice?" he inquired, trying to draw her back into the conversation.

Deciding that the heavens weren't going to have mercy on her, Amelia sighed and lowered her dagger.  "He can be.  Mister Zelgadis is a…"  She bit her tongue, realizing that she had almost called Mister Zelgadis a 'strange man'.  But that wasn't really fair.  It wasn't his fault that he had the problems he did.  "He hurts a lot," she settled on after a moment's contemplation.  "He wants to be good and true, but he has so many problems that it's not always possible."

Marco nodded, not really knowing what Amelia was talking about.  It sounded right though.  "Hey, look at that!" he exclaimed, pointing up at the sky excitedly.  All thoughts of boyfriends and promises had been driven from his mind.

The storm was dying far more quickly than one would have expected.  A few moments after the final peal of thunder the first evening stars were peeking through the clouds.  Not more than ten minutes later, the moon's light burned through the canopy of clouds turning unnatural darkness into a more innocent nighttime.

Amelia and Marco watched this phenomenon silently, childish looks of awe written upon both their faces.  It felt like something dark had taken interest in them but decided at the last moment to turn its attention elsewhere.

"Is it safe now?" Marco wondered aloud.  He'd never seen a storm quite so violent as the one that had ravaged the valley today.  He didn't know what was more unusual, the ferocity of the storm or how quickly it'd dissipated. 

Giving the boy one last reassuring hug, Amelia nodded.  "I think it is.  Are you ready to go?"  She stood; brushing wet leaves off her knees before extending a hand to Marco.  Before he could answer, a terrified look crossed her face.  "Hide!" she stage whispered, snatching him up by his wrist and bodily shoving him back down at the base of a nearby bush.  Without a moment's hesitation, she flattened herself against the trunk of a nearby tree, praying that it would be sufficient to conceal her.  She didn't want to hide too close to Marco, lest he be discovered as well.

Marco scrabbled into the darkness under the bush and held perfectly still, not knowing why, but fearful of the insistence in Amelia's words and actions.  He held his breath, using eyes and ears to discern whatever threat had startled her.  He couldn't see anything and that made things that much more terrifying.  There was a reason for her anxiety he just knew it.  There had to be-

A sudden shift in the breeze brought the sound of ugly singing to his ears and Marco's blood turned to ice in his veins.  Here was the ghost that mother had warned him about: the one that spirited children away, never to be seen again.  

Marco glanced over at Amelia, little more than a dark silhouette against the tree, and was comforted slightly.  He'd come to the conclusion that she was some sort of forest spirit as well.  How else did she know so much about him?  He knew that despite her fear, she was here to help him and would let no harm befall him.

A twig snapped and a figure in white suddenly loomed a scant foot and a half from Marco's location.  He jumped slightly; the damp leaves thankfully remaining silent and preserving the integrity of his hiding place.  How had it crossed that much distance in such a short time?  It was so far away when the boy had first heard the voice…

The vampire sniffed quietly, extending its tongue to taste the air.  "Jasmine," it whispered in a rough voice.  "You're close by, aren't you, child?"

"Jasmine?" Marco mouthed silently, his eyes widening in terror.  Amelia's perfume, it'd rubbed off on him.  The monster was about to find him.  

Confirming the boy's fears, the vampire knelt down, running a pale finger through the dirt.  "Not here," it mused aloud, tapping the ground thoughtfully.  Something had been dragged by here recently; dead leaves had been crushed and dragged towards...  It looked over at Marco's hiding place and for just an instant; the moonlight glinted off ivory fangs.  It was grinning.

Dusting its cloak off, the vampire stood and began to slowly circle the bush, chuckling wickedly.  "Child, I apologize for making light of your impending death, but this situation brings back memories of my youth," it whispered thoughtfully, addressing the leafy branches.  "When I was little, a lifetime ago it sometimes seems; I lived on a farm with my family.  We grew tomatoes and, all false modesty aside; I can tell you they were the finest tomatoes in the province.  But, we had a problem.  Do you know what it was?"

Marco bit his tongue just before asking the creature what the problem was.  It had such a mesmerizing voice that it almost felt wrong not to answer.

As if sensing Marco's discomfort, the vampire chuckled again and rustled the branches of the bush, eliciting a gasp of fear from the boy.  "No need to be shy.  I don't bite.  Not figuratively in any case.  Now, where was I?"  The evil hiss of a sword being drawn rent the silence of the night.  "Ah yes, the problem with growing tomatoes.  Well, my young friend, we had a problem with rabbits.  There must have been hundreds of the little beasts running rampant through our crop during the growing season.  Now, I don't know if you've ever seen tomato plants, but in my homeland they tend to get pretty big.  As big as, say… this bush for instance."

There was a loud swooshing sound and the top part of the bush was gone, taken by the edge of a silver sword.  The letters spelling out the name of a certain redheaded Slayer were visible in the moonlight for just a moment before the blade slid back home in its sheath with an audible click. 

Amelia had a hand clapped over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her terrified gasps.  The voice on the other side of the tree was the same that almost killed her a few nights ago.  There was something wrong with it, but it was unmistakably the same.  Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she willed herself to crouch, desperately reaching down in search of an acorn, a pinecone, anything that might distract the vampire.  She was more frightened than she'd ever been in her entire life, but she was not about to let it get Marco.

"In a way, you're just like those rabbits from back home, Amelia.  You're a pest, digging at the roots of the holy empire in an attempt to kill the plant to sate your own hunger; naught more than a disgusting little vermin."  The vampire's voice betrayed a bit of anger at this last part.

Amelia's cerulean eyes widened at the vampire's words.  It thought she was the one hiding in the bush?  Just for an instant, she considered the possibility that she could get away.  If it thought that it had her, it wouldn't give chase until it was done with Marco, right?  She quashed that thought immediately, feeling horrible for even having considered it.  She was not leaving that poor child there to die.  She sighed in relief as her questing fingers found a small stone, perfect for what she needed.  Quickly standing again, she drew her arm back.

A quiet giggle of amusement was the only indication that the vampire had heard Amelia's sigh.  It quickly turned its attention back to whoever was hiding in the bush.  Sad to say, he'd have to die after being told a bit of its history.  "Do you know how we got rid of those rabbits, 'Amelia'?"  It spoke the acrobat's name sarcastically, letting the girl behind the tree know that the ruse was up.  "We'd go out into the field, shake the bushes until the rabbits bolted, and then…"  Quick as lightning, it drew the sword again and plunged it into the ground.  "Rabbit stew for dinner that evening."

Knowing that it was pointless, but having nothing better to do, Amelia flung the stone as far as she could.  It fell into a mass of dead leaves making quite a racket.  If only it hadn't been for naught.

The vampire threw its head back and laughed long and loud, a mocking sound.  "Oh my!  I suppose I'll just forget about the rabbit I have cornered here and run off to investigate that strange noise."  Crouching, it sheathed its sword and whispered, "Here I go…"  A moment later, it was gone.

Amelia's hopes fell at the vampire's words.  She sighed resignedly and turned towards Marco's hiding place.  At the very least she could help him get away even if she was doomed.  She squeaked in surprise as she found herself face to face with the vampire.

"Hello, Amelia," it whispered, reaching out to embrace her.  Before it even touched her, Amelia was flung backwards.  She soared a dozen feet before landing in a pile of leaves, leaving her with little more than her pride bruised.

Glancing up in confusion, Amelia's heart soared at the sight of Zelgadis.  She vaguely remembered him saving her from Xellos before and now it was about to happen again.

Why then, was the vampire smiling?

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Lina receives help from the most unlikely of sources and Zelgadis struggles with demons, both without and within.

Notes:  Well, here I am with another chapter.  It's been a rough couple of weeks and this went through no less than 5 rewrites.  As in, totally from scratch.  Coupled with other problems that include but aren't limited to the fact that I lost my beta, I ended up taking a hiatus from the story.  I never expected that it'd be an entire month though.  Where does the time go?  Anyway, on to the reviews.

Oh, before I forget, the story will be updated on Saturday nights.  I won't say every Saturday or even every other Saturday.  The chapters will not be posted until I'm happy with them.  It's far too stressful otherwise.

Almost forgot something else!  Yeesh.  Please give a warm welcome to my new beta reader, Ichiban Victory.  She's in charge of trying to keep this mess in order now.  Thanks also go out to Kaitrin, my random idea girl.

Reviewer Response:

Ichiban, I almost forgot what 6 was the answer too, it's been so long.  Still disgusting though!  *laughs*

Thanks for the kind word, Raven!

Pogo, you know by now that I didn't QUITE make that week's deadline.  What was it?  A month ago?  Anyway, best wishes to you and I hope you come back soon.

Hmm, Lina acting sick?  Maybe it's just malnutrition, Otaku girl, but you never know . . .  In any case, don't forget to write when you get some more of your story down!

Question is my middle name, Kaitrin!  Filing Question Sloth!  So of course, I'm obligated to toss out a bunch of them, right?

Stara, mistake noted and corrected.  See?  This is what happens when I  proofread my stuff on 2 hours of sleep a night!  Hope you enjoyed the new (albeit late) chapter!

What's with the pecans?!  That's pretty funny, Dragonet!  Sorry, nothing explained yet, but there will be answers soon, I promise!

Thank you very much, Ishychan!  It's always a pleasure to hear from new readers!

I'm waiting for that longer review, Ari-chan!  *grins*

Hmm, if I left you confused, then I'm doing a good job, right Miss Gabriev?  I hope it's a good confused and not a "What the hell is he writing?!" confused though.

And lastly, Wes.  It seems pretty bleak, but I think that Lina and the others can figure out some way of working through the trouble . . .

Until next time, all!


	36. Dark Impulses

Stupid, stupid, stupid, Sarah reprimanded herself. How could she have gotten lost? She lived here for goodness sake! For a moment, she almost wished that she'd taken Marco up on his offer to walk her home. As much as she hated to admit it, it was pretty creepy out here. Having to endure Marco teasing her about it would have been a small price to pay for peace of mind. She was being silly though. It was obvious that she was somewhere between Marco's village and her own home; she hadn't been walking that long. So, she just needed to stop and think.  
  
It was easier said than done. Sarah had been walking quickly, on the verge of breaking into a sprint as fear threatened to overtake her. She was a levelheaded girl, however, and forced herself to stop and take a deep breath. "Okay," she whispered, "let's think for a second, Sarah." Speaking aloud, even if it was naught but a whisper made her feel more confident.  
  
The snap of a dry twig off to her right, terrifyingly loud in the silent darkness, shattered the girl's poise. A moment later, a nearby bush shook, despite the lack of any wind. "I-Is anyone there?" she called out, failing to keep the tremble from her voice.  
  
In response, leaves rustled somewhere to the left, just out of Sarah's sight. Just a raccoon or something, of course, she told herself. They were brazen little things, braving the village night after night in search of choice pieces of garbage. The noise paused and she got the sick sense that whatever was in the brush was staring at her. Not even noticing that she'd done so, she stopped walking and tried not to move at all.  
  
There. The rustling sound was moving away. The raccoon had apparently decided that Sarah wasn't worth further study. That was fine by her. She let out the breath she'd been holding, the noise like an explosion in the silence. Cringing a bit, she glanced around, hoping that nothing had heard her. The forest was eerie in its silence.  
  
Sarah crept along at a snail's pace, not wanting to draw the ire of whatever had silenced life in the glade. Another step and she was ankle deep in a puddle of icy water. She bit off a yelp of shock and fright and cowered in anticipation of . . . something. The sigh of relief had been overlooked. She was sure that she wouldn't be so lucky this time.  
  
For just a moment, Sarah wondered when she'd gone from thinking a raccoon was in the brush to assuming that Shabranigdo himself was somewhere out there. Well to heck with this, she thought, turning on her heel. She'd just go back the way she came. Marco's mom would let her spend the night. Sure, she'd be in big trouble with her dad tomorrow, but all the same . . .  
  
The path was gone. Somehow, she'd gotten turned around worse than she'd originally thought. She clapped her hands to her mouth in an expression of fear and hopelessness. Why hadn't she taken Marco up on his offer to walk her home? Why had she waited until it was so late? Why-?  
  
Useless questions were interrupted by strange sounds again. There was no raccoon this time, however. Whatever was out there was big . . . and rushing towards her.  
  
"Marco, if that's you, you're going to get such a pounding!" It'd be just like the little twerp to try to scare her like this. And despite her threat, which she was incredibly serious about, by the way, she hoped against hope that it was her friend. Except . . . it wasn't. Somehow she knew that it wasn't. He wouldn't try to upset her like this--maybe before the night at the reflecting pool--but not now. Things had changed between them, so suddenly that they'd both been taken by surprise, albeit a pleasant one. This wasn't Marco.  
  
Frightened by that reality, Sarah panicked, bolting off in a random direction. As if sensing her fear and approving of it, the source of the noise increased its pace, easily matching speed with the terrified girl. For a few moments, terrified gasps and the sound of fallen leaves crunching were all that could be heard in the dark.  
  
Sarah was crying now, tears blurring her vision. This coupled with the fact that dark clouds had hidden the moon made it almost impossible to tell where she was going. As a result, she tripped over an exposed root and fell face down onto the forest floor, skinning her knee. It seemed that the forest itself was conspiring against her. It was over then. Whatever was pursuing her was about to pounce. Somehow, whatever was chasing her had gone from raccoon, to human, to some sort of child eating monster in her mind. What did it feel like to be eaten alive? She had no desire to find out.  
  
Sniffling, she swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing her face with black mud. She was running again before she'd even regained her footing; feet pistoning against the ground, flinging dirt and leaves into the air. It would do no good, she realized. The beast was right behind her about to pounce. Another second and she'd feel jagged fangs in her back . . .  
  
Then she was on her feet and alive again. Things seemed to go right for Sarah for the first time in the chase. Her tears dried as if by magic, the blessed moon managed to shrug off its cover, illuminating the forest in silvery light, and, as if by magic, she'd found her second wind. She poured on the speed, grinning in spite of the situation. She'd always been incredibly fast, much to Marco's chagrin. He'd never been able to keep up with her when they raced. Chalk it up to her long legs, she thought. Legs that she'd once considered gangly, she emphatically thanked Ceiphied for in that moment. Nothing could catch her now. She was the wind.  
  
Her elation lasted for only a moment as her pursuer seemed to increase its own speed to match. Footfalls echoed Sarah's perfectly, almost as if she were running from her own shadow. Knowing that she shouldn't do so, she risked a quick glance over her shoulder.  
  
Nothing. There was nothing behind her. Cautiously, she slowed and the sounds of pursuit faded away as if by magic. Had she imagined the whole thing? She supposed that might have been the case. She'd been running pretty hard and maybe she'd been frightened by her own noises. Once she had the idea, she latched onto it eagerly; building it up into something plausible.  
  
Yes that had to be it. A raccoon most likely caused the initial noise as she'd first thought and her imagination had just run away with it, turning into something outlandish. Marco would laugh at her if he ever found out. Heck, she felt like laughing at herself. So she did, banishing the last of those imaginary demons back to whatever dark corner of her consciousness they resided in.  
  
So intent was Sarah on convincing herself that everything was okay, she failed to see the gaping ravine a few feet in front of her. It was only when she stepped out and found nothing but air to support her that she realized what she'd done. To her credit, she almost caught herself, flinging her body backwards and teetering on one foot as she stared into the blackness below. With infinite slowness, she leaned back, shifting her weight onto her rear leg, her arms held out for balance.  
  
At the crucial moment when Sarah was precariously suspended between life and death, a gust of wind moaned in the tree branches overhead, inexplicable in its origin. There hadn't been so much as a breeze earlier. In any case, it was just enough to gently nudge the poor girl away from salvation. She cried out, her voice not heard by a single soul, as she fell and struck the bottom of the ravine.  
  
Under any other circumstances, she would have survived, indeed, might have gotten away with little more than a bruised ego. The ravine floor was covered with several years worth of dead leaves, making her landing quite comfortable. However, it seemed that ill fortune was not quite done with poor Sarah.  
  
The girl would have been fine if she'd hit anywhere else, but somehow she managed to strike her head on the only rock within twenty feet. She laid there, blank eyes staring uncomprehendingly at the wall of clay rising before her. Her feet drummed spastically against the ground, nothing more than the feeble struggles of a doomed life fighting for survival. Mercifully, she'd been all but rendered unconscious and was blissfully unaware of the fact that her life was flowing from her cracked skull in a steady stream.  
  
She gasped one last time, reluctantly slipping away to whatever reward awaited her. And then, the forest was still once again.  
  
Moisture hung heavy in the air, the parting gift of the storm that never really was. Two demons wearing the guises of mortals faced off. One was sweating slightly, his human weakness revealed by the humidity; the other was incapable of sweating--the moisture on its alabaster flesh little more than condensation. They both stood, still as statues, until the vampire broke the spell with a few words.  
  
"By Ceiphied, it's hot, isn't it?" it asked in a conversational tone, as if Zelgadis hadn't almost killed it and wouldn't do so again with bloody enthusiasm. It swiped at its brow with the back of its sleeve, more in memory of its humanity than an actual expression of discomfort. The fabric came away dark with blood. "You'll have to forgive me, I'm not at my peak again quite yet," it murmured in way of explanation for the blood. Gesturing to the clasp of its cloak, it asked, "May I?" Without waiting for an answer, it released the clasp, which bore the insignia of the High Priest, indicating in no uncertain terms that this was one of Rezo's chief servants.  
  
Zelgadis cocked his head quizzically. "You followed us all the way from Sairaag, didn't you? Why? Why are you hunting Amelia? To get to me?"  
  
A snort of derision answered Zel's queries. "Brace yourself for disappointment, son of Rezo, but believe it or not, this isn't about you." The vampire shed its cloak as the newborn butterfly sheds its cocoon. There had been something almost divine about it before, almost surreal in its whiteness, but now it appeared far more earthy and real. The pristine cloak gave way to the drab well-worn clothes of a traveling priest, dark pants and a baggy tan shirt. Around its waist hung a loose fitting belt bearing the scabbard Zelgadis had bought for Lina so long ago.  
  
If Zelgadis thought that the vampire's identity would be revealed just because it'd shirked its disguise, he was sadly mistaken. Interestingly enough, he was the reason that it couldn't be identified. Its face was a nightmarish ruin, blood flowing freely from multiple cuts and gouges. The entire left side of its face was gone, scraped away when Zelgadis had smashed it against a tree two nights past. All the teeth lining that side of its jaw were plain to see, making it look as if it wore a constant grin. The top of its head was a skull in name only--little more than a thin membrane of flesh and flecks of bone stretched across its brain. Sporadic tufts of dark hair were struggling to grow at different spots on its head and, for the most part, they were failing miserably. It hadn't quite recovered from their previous encounter, it seemed.  
  
Zelgadis heard Amelia gasp behind him. It was dark, but her eyes had been able to discern enough to know that this... creature shouldn't have been alive. For his part, the former Chief Minister of Sairaag didn't bat an eye. He'd seen far worse in his nightmares. "You say this isn't about me. What's your interest in Amelia?"  
  
The vampire waggled a finger at Zelgadis and shook its head, mirth dancing in its one good eye. "Now that, of course, is a secret. Take comfort in this fact: You're not at the top of my list. To be quite honest, you're somewhere near the very bottom. So, if you'd be so kind as to step aside, I'll take the young lady and leave your murder for another evening."  
  
In answer to the vampire's offer, Zelgadis flung his own cloak aside, not wanting to worry about getting tangled in the bulky thing. He lowered his center of gravity and instinctively flung his wings out to their full span in an effort to intimidate his foe.  
  
"Oh, you mean to fight me?" the vampire asked in a tone of mock surprise. "You're willing to die for this little girl? Think about it, Zelgadis. If you're anything like the others, you have a good two or three centuries left to live. Run away. Hide from me. Don't throw your life away on this pretty little thing. Beauty fades."  
  
"Big talk coming from someone I all but killed last time we met." Zelgadis briefly wondered what his foe had meant by "others", but quickly shoved the thought aside. There would be time to ask questions after he'd torn its arms and legs off.  
  
"Oh, don't remind me," the vampire groaned, shaking its head ruefully. It assumed a defensive stance and quickly unbuckled its sword belt. "The thought that a clumsy oaf like you almost ended my life... well, it's embarrassing. I mean honestly!"  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Zelgadis asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as his foe wrapped its belt around the ornate sheath. "Do you think this is some kind of game?" He'd been ready for just about anything. Anything except his foe disarming itself.  
  
"Oh, not at all, Master Greywords. I don't play games. I leave such nonsense to children and fools." It knelt and spread its cloak on the ground. With a great deal of reverence, it laid the sword in the center of the cape to keep it from getting dirty. "I'd rather not stain my blade with the filth running through your veins. That's all." Standing again, it beckoned to Zelgadis. "If you mean to kill me, get on with it. I don't have all night, you know."  
  
Zelgadis didn't need to be asked twice. Without warning, he launched himself forward, meaning to cut the vile thing in half with one swipe.  
  
Some distance away from melee, the would-be rescuers wandered through the darkness. They were anything but imposing. Lina clung to Gourry's sword arm as if it were life itself. This had the none too helpful effect of rendering him totally useless should something leap out of the darkness. He'd asked her to let go once and she'd given him such a frightened look that he had quickly dropped the subject. Did she have to dig in with her nails like that though?  
  
An owl hooted loudly overhead and the redhead dug in so much that she almost drew blood. That was enough of that, Gourry decided. "Lina, let go," he gently, yet sternly instructed, easily detaching her viselike grip from his forearm. "What the heck is the matter with you?" As soon as he'd removed her hand, she'd closed the distance between them and now had both arms firmly attached to his waist.  
  
"I . . . I'm cold," Lina lied. She whispered almost inaudibly, obviously not wanting Jillas to hear. The fox was about a dozen feet ahead of them, little more than a silhouette in the dim glow of the lantern Gourry carried.  
  
"Cold?" Gourry repeated dubiously. It was a warm summer night, made nauseatingly humid by the recent rainfall. "Are you sick?" he asked, scrutinizing her face in the lamplight. She didn't look sick. A bit pale was all. Still, there was only one way to know for sure. He gently brushed crimson bangs aside and laid his hand against her forehead, pointedly ignoring the glare she shot him. She was cool. That settled it then. "You're scared." There was a bit of awe in his voice as he spoke. Nothing scared Lina. She became flustered at the drop of a hat, startled easily, and even got hysterical at times, but for the life of him he couldn't remember ever seeing her genuinely afraid.  
  
"Keep your voice down!" Lina hissed, squeezing him for emphasis. She glanced over at the fox man to see if he'd heard. If he had, he didn't acknowledge it, intent on his hunt for his master.  
  
"Sorry." Lowering his voice to a stage whisper, Gourry repeated, "You're scared." The repetition earned him a hard elbow in the stomach. Once he'd gotten his wind back, he whispered, "Why?" Lina wouldn't even look him in the eye, preferring to look around in every conceivable direction as if expecting an attack at any moment.  
  
"You've got to stay on your toes," Lina replied, struggling to sound calm. "You never know when some evil beast will just lunge out of the darkness and try to pull your head off. It's all part of being a professional Slayer."  
  
"Oh." There was a moment of silence as Gourry mulled over that bit of information. "So, being a good Slayer means you have to be a paranoid lunatic?" he concluded.  
  
"Something like that," Lina growled through gritted teeth. A moment later, she sighed and forced herself to loosen her grip around his waist. "Sorry, it's just really creepy out here is all." As if on cue, something growled nearby, setting her on edge again. "Did you hear that?" Her hand strayed to the hilt of her dagger as she scanned the area suspiciously. "It's probably some slavering beast waiting for an opportunity to pounce."  
  
"No, that was my stomach," Gourry admitted with a sheepish grin.  
  
"Yeah, just like I said: a slavering beast. Hey, that reminds me . . ." Lina's face lit up and she began rummaging around in her apron pockets. "Now where did they go? Jeez, there's only two pockets in this thing. How could I have lost them?"  
  
Gourry smiled at the redhead. Apparently, whatever had been on her mind had been shoved to the side for the time being. He made a mental note to ask her about it later. After all, how was he supposed to protect her if he didn't know what scared her?  
  
"Found 'em!" Lina exclaimed triumphantly as she yanked a handful of pecans from her pocket. "Here. I saved them for you at the expense of my own neglected tummy." She made a show of looking pathetic while rubbing her stomach.  
  
"Hey! Thanks!" Gourry accepted the food gratefully and began to wolf them. Grandmother's cooking just hadn't done anything for him that morning, despite the sheer volume of food he'd consumed. He paused in mid bite when he noticed Lina studying his face. She was wearing a cheerful and somewhat dreamy expression. "What?" he asked, her smile spreading to his face as well.  
  
"Oh, nothing!" Lina yelped, her face turning a bright shade of red, noticeable even in the dim light of the lantern. She hastily searched for something else to look at and finally settled on the moon overhead.  
  
Gourry gave her an inquisitive look that she pointedly ignored before shrugging and going back to eating.  
  
When she was sure that Gourry was engrossed once again, Lina stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the food and that pleased her to no end. She had spent a good deal of the afternoon shelling the nuts for him, cracking them on the corner of the nightstand and meticulously picking through the remains for the good pieces. It'd been a tedious task, but the idea that she was doing it for Gourry made it more bearable.  
  
When he locked eyes with her, she realized that she'd been staring again and forced herself to look down at the ground. She didn't know why she was so skittish around him; they'd slept together for Ceiphied's sake. That was a pretty major sign of attraction, right? On the other hand, that had also been the first time she'd allowed herself to open up to him. Maybe it was because things were happening so fast. Maybe it was because she'd never felt this way before—had never allowed herself to feel for anyone. Maybe . . .  
  
"Hey, fuzz face!" she called out, quashing her thoughts about Gourry. The unfortunate fox man was the only thing she could think to focus on. "Catch!" She'd meant to toss him some pecans, as he was obviously hungry as well, stealing the occasional ravenous glance at her food. Sadly, she was so flustered by the way Gourry had looked at her, the toss ended up being overhand instead of underhand. To be quite honest, it wasn't really a toss either. "Toss" implied a gentle throw—something meant to be caught. This was more of a "launch with intent to maim" than a "toss".  
  
Jillas turned around just in time to catch one between the eyes. He yelped in pain and clapped his hands to his face as the pecan went soaring up into the air before coming down on top of his head, adding insult to injury. Sparing Lina a murderous look and muttering things under his breath that are best not repeated, he turned and skulked off, continuing his search for Boss and Sis. He'd never understand why the redhead insisted on tormenting him so.  
  
Wincing guiltily, Lina turned back to Gourry and asked, "So, did you two find anything while you were out this morning?" They had to have, right? They were out from morning until after dark.  
  
"Girl," Gourry managed between mouthfuls of food.  
  
"A girl," Lina repeated, feeling a twinge of jealousy. She quickly shoved it aside. "Did she know anything useful?"  
  
"Don't know," Gourry mumbled with a shrug. "She was dead. For a long time too, it looked like."  
  
"Dead?" Lina shivered at the thought. Where had Gourry found a dead girl? Sensing her anxiety return, she quipped, "What, did you dig her up or something? You couldn't have been THAT hungry." Okay, that didn't help a bit, she realized. The image of Gourry, the world's stupidest flesh eating zombie, sprang up in her mind and she quickly shoved it aside. This was no time to be giving herself the jitters. She plucked the lantern from Gourry's grasp and turned the knob on its side, upping the light that it cast on the area around them. This didn't help with the heebie-jeebies so much as it created more shadows for her to jump at.  
  
"She wasn't buried," Gourry explained, giving the redhead a questioning look. Getting the distinct feeling that she was adamant about not talking about her anxiety, he sighed and continued his explanation. "She wasn't even concealed that well. Just covered by a bunch of leaves, really."  
  
"You'd think someone would have found her," Lina mused aloud. "I wonder if they even looked."  
  
"Of course they would have looked!" Gourry insisted, sounding a bit offended. "They wouldn't just leave someone out there. These are the people I grew up with, you know."  
  
"Hmm," Lina mumbled noncommittally. After a long moment of thought, she glanced up at her protector and asked, "Gourry, do you think they just forgot about her?" She held her hands up defensively when the swordsman shot her an irritated look. "I'm not saying they're all jellyfishes, although I hadn't considered that . . ." Quickly getting back on track, she added, "Anyway, they did lose five years somewhere along the line, right? Maybe they lost her along with the time?"  
  
Gourry grimaced. He appreciated the fact that Lina was actually turning to him for his thoughts, but he really had no idea of what to say. He turned to his charge and was about to apologize when an idea struck. "Grandma would know!" he blurted out eagerly. "She knows everything that goes on around here. I'll ask her when we get back."  
  
At that moment, Jillas froze in his tracks, nothing moving save for his tail, which swished back and forth in long slow stokes. He'd sensed something. Whether it was a new scent or sound, he didn't bother to explain. The fact that he darted off into the brush was indication enough that he'd found them. He'd found Amelia and Zelgadis, or soon would in any case.  
  
Lina and Gourry locked eyes for a moment, his full of hope, hers full of trepidation, before chasing after the rapidly departing fox man.  
  
The vampire grunted, not in pain so much as reflex, as Zelgadis slammed his fist into its ribs, puncturing something soft within. It didn't matter. The organs were dead anyway, serving no function. What use had it for lungs? Breathing was a habit only, done only in remembrance of a life long gone. Only one thing mattered on the inside: the black heart that sustained its unlife.  
  
Zelgadis suppressed a grin, struggling to keep from enjoying what he was doing. He'd been working his foe over for five minutes now and was coming dangerously close to losing control and ripping it to shreds. He didn't want Amelia to see him like that. It might be best for her to know how cruel he could be, but still, she treated him like a person, which was more than most people had ever done. If he acted like an animal, she may very well start treating him like one.  
  
The dead thing had stopped moving. Grimacing distastefully, Zelgadis grabbed the back of its shirt, pulling it off his talons with a sickening slurp. He hadn't realized that he'd struck quite so hard.  
  
"Are you done hurting me?" the vampire gurgled almost inaudibly. Black blood bubbled up in its throat and ran out between its teeth; it seemed that lungs were good for something after all. It was going to be a lot harder to communicate when they were flooded with blood. Clearing its throat, it spat a disgustingly large amount of viscous fluid onto the ground. "Forgive me," it apologized, sounding sincere for once. "That was most uncouth of me."  
  
Zelgadis rolled his eyes and seized the front of the vampiric priest's shirt. Slamming the figure against a nearby tree, he briefly wondered if Amelia had been right about it being Xellos. The bastard was irritating enough to be the fallen angel. "Who are you?" he demanded.  
  
The priest shook its head and opened its mouth to speak. Instead of words, it coughed violently, expelling a copious amount of blood onto the front of Zelgadis's shirt. It grinned in mock apology and shrugged, as if to say, "So sorry, I can't answer. By the way, did you know that this is your fault?"  
  
Or maybe Zelgadis was reading too much into the gesture. Either way, it was still infuriating. He yanked the vampire forward and slammed it back again. And then again. When he pulled it forward for the third time, he was stopped by a gentle touch on his arm. He could almost feel the concern and even before he looked, he knew Amelia was standing beside him. "I told you to stay back," he sighed. "You're going to get hurt."  
  
"Mister Zelgadis, please don't hurt him anymore," Amelia quietly pleaded. "He used to be good. He took care of Miss Lina, remember?" Forcing herself to look at the broken priest, she suppressed a shudder and added, "I know something happened to him and maybe he is truly wicked, but..." Sighing regretfully, she struggled with the rest of her words. "He doesn't deserve to be tormented. Would you...?" Her words trailed off and her cerulean eyes said what she could not. She wanted Zelgadis to give the creature a merciful death.  
  
Had either Zelgadis or Amelia been paying attention to their foe, they would have seen an interesting gamut of emotions cross its face. First, sadistic glee as it noted exactly how much Zelgadis cared for the acrobat. Honestly, he may as well announce his feelings to the world. It was disgraceful that such a guileless creature had once been in charge of one of the most valuable cities in the empire. Chalk it up to sentimentality on Rezo's part.  
  
The expression shifted to one of irritation as Amelia indirectly suggested that Zelgadis finish the job. How utterly and infuriatingly arrogant they were. As if a dirty blooded half-breed could kill it on a whim. Didn't he know that he'd been allowed to do as much damage as he had? It'd be a shame for him to die without feeling that he'd accomplished something, right? Unseen by Zelgadis or Amelia, it flicked its wrist as if performing a clever sleight of hand and was suddenly armed with . . . something. It'd been too quick to see exactly what it was.  
  
Rustling from the bush that the vampire had been stalking was all that saved Zelgadis's life. Curious, it turned and watched as someone crawled out from under it. It did want to know whom it'd almost skewered earlier, whom it'd still skewer in the next few moments. "You?!" it gurgled, shock registering in its single amethyst eye as it recognized Marco.  
  
Zelgadis and Amelia turned back to face the creature, sensing its agitation a moment too late. In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, Zelgadis's shoulder was dislocated when the vampire decided that it wanted to be free. Before the pain of the first injury even registered in Zelgadis's brain, a jolt of agony ripped through his chest. He glanced down to see a dark stain spreading across the front of his tunic just over his heart and understood what had happened. This knowledge gave him little comfort as his legs gave out and he collapsed limply to the ground.  
  
Before Amelia had a chance to react, its leg had snaked out to catch her just below the solar plexus, driving the wind out of her. She was lifted off her feet and landed on her back, seeing stars and struggling for air.  
  
The vampire cocked its head, admiring its handiwork. Zelgadis was as good as dead, his heart pierced by a sliver of wood. It was a little known fact—even among Slayers—that it wasn't necessary to ram something as ostentatious as wooden stake through a vampire's heart. On the contrary, something as small as a toothpick would have the same effect, disrupting the dark power that sustained unlife.  
  
It nodded in satisfaction and turned its attention to Amelia. She was sprawled out on her back, her breaths coming in loud gasps. Lovely. She wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. It briefly considered finishing her off, but curiosity won out over duty.  
  
"Young man, I'd like a word with you." it hissed in a raspy voice, turning its gaze on poor Marco who was rooted in place. It spat out more blood and crossed the distance between itself and the boy in three quick steps. "You obviously don't understand how this works," it whispered, extending its hands to lovingly cup the boy's face. It knelt down before him, bringing their faces inches from one another. "When I kill someone, they tend to stay dead," it calmly explained.  
  
Marco nodded in spite of himself. He didn't even hear the vampire's words. His thoughts were focused entirely on the ruined face before him. It was like something out of his nightmares. Especially the teeth; he found himself unable to tear his gaze from those jagged fangs.  
  
"Child, I'll thank you to look me in the eye when I talk to you. I'm your elder and I will be respected." The vampire tilted Marco's chin up until he was staring into its eye. "That's better. Now, why aren't you resting?" There may have been the slightest hint of sympathy in its voice, but it was hard to tell. Everything that it said was, quite frankly wet sounding. "Calm yourself, child. For the moment, you are in no danger. Just answer my question and I'll let you go." Cool fingers stroked the boy's cheek reassuringly, leaving streaks of semi congealed blood.  
  
Trembling uncontrollably, the boy began to speak.  
  
The room was dark, save for the light of a single candle. The rhythmic creak of a rocking chair sounded impossibly loud in the otherwise silent room. Aqua sat in the chair, willing herself to fall asleep. It'd been an eventful day—what with the storm and all--and she was quite tired, yet she couldn't bring herself to sleep.  
  
Every time her eyes slid closed she could see them in the dark; cruel beings marched through the forest until they reached the village, killing all in their path. It'd happened every single time. She'd start to doze off, but hear the ominous sound of the soldiers marching in formation or smell the musty scent of old death. Worst of all were the times that she saw their faces.  
  
She shuddered at the thought and climbed to her feet, grimacing as she did so. Her old bones ached quite a bit, but never so much as just after a good rain. Still, she barely noticed the pain, as it'd been a constant companion for a very long time. Her thoughts were entirely focused on the dreams she'd been having.  
  
Just for a moment, she thought that she saw one of the soldiers standing in the corner and her heart leapt into her throat. However, it was nothing quite so sinister; it was a shawl draped over a coat rack. She forced a laugh that she didn't really feel and maneuvered through the familiar darkness over to the fireplace. Hot tea was what she needed. Maybe that'd help her sleep. It'd never done so before, but there was a first time for anything, right? Besides, it was better to be doing something constructive rather than spooking herself in the dark.  
  
She'd just gotten a decent blaze going and was about to put the kettle on when she heard the noise, a quiet scraping sound just outside the house, almost like something being dragged in the dirt. The tea momentarily forgotten, she set the kettle aside and crept over to the nearest window. She cautiously opened the shutters ever so slightly and peered out into the dark.  
  
At first, there was nothing, just the quiet calm of the forest around the village. Aqua was about to close the shutters and dismiss the noise as her overactive imagination when she saw it; a lumbering hulk of a beast emerged from the woods, dragging something heavy behind it. It was moving directly towards her house.  
  
Willing herself to stay calm, she pulled the shutters closed and quietly latched them. Then, she hastened over to the door, meaning to lock that as well. She hadn't done so in several years; the biggest threat she'd ever had to deal with was curious children and they'd always been easily dispatched with a stern word and a quick swat on the behind.  
  
So, it was with no small amount of alarm that she found herself unable to recall where she'd laid the key. And there wasn't time to search for it. Whatever was out there was on the porch. Thunderous footsteps quickly crossed the front of the house until they were just outside the door. Unable to think of anything else to do, she braced her shoulder against the door.  
  
It did little good. Whatever was outside flung the door open with ease, knocking the old woman onto her butt. It lumbered in, dragging its parcel behind it and bellowed, "Hello? Anybody home?"  
  
"Gouren Albus Gabriev!" Aqua said in her sternest tone. It had the desired effect of making the huge man cringe. "What do you think you're doing, barging into my house and scaring the life out of me?" She wasn't so much irritated as startled. She'd thought that . . . No, better not to think about the dreams. She glared at him a moment longer until Lily stormed into the room.  
  
"Gouren, what is wrong with you?!" Lily fumed. She shot him the dirtiest of glares, which had the effect of immediately silencing his stammered attempts to explain himself. Kneeling down beside Aqua, she snapped, "Take the stock down to the store before you cause any more trouble."  
  
Gouren grimaced. "You mean tonight, dear? But, it's late and I'm tired . . ." If he'd thought that his wife looked cross before, he was mistaken. Her latest look was filled with such venom that he tugged at the collar of his shirt nervously. It was a wonder that he hadn't burst into flame. "Yes, dear," he sighed resignedly. He picked up the bundle with a grunt of exertion and sulked out the door.  
  
"Are you all right, mother?" Lily asked, her demeanor totally changing when she spoke to the older woman.  
  
"Oh, I'm fine, dear. Just a bit rattled is . . ." Aqua's face lit up, as she recalled something incredibly important. "Gouren, get back in here!" she called out.  
  
Gouren poked his head back into the room, a cautious look on his face. What sort of punishment was he about to be given now? What Aqua said next was the last thing he expected.  
  
"Gourry's come home!"  
  
Amelia watched the interplay between the two with a terrified look. The misshapen vampire's face was inches from Marco's and it would take only an instant for it to close the distance between them. Despite the fact that she was gasping for air, she rolled onto her stomach and tried to climb to hands and knees. She strained with all her might, but couldn't manage so much as an inch. Mister Zelgadis, she thought hopefully. He could help Marco. She glanced over at her fallen companion and was unable to suppress a squeak of horror.  
  
Zelgadis was lying motionless, the bloodstain on the front of his tunic spreading further by the moment. His right arm hung at an unnatural angle and his pale face was taut as he tried to hide the pain he was feeling.  
  
"What'd he do to you?" Amelia whispered. With much effort, she dragged herself over to Zelgadis and tentatively reached out, meaning to stem the flow of blood from his wound. She knew a little about first aid—working in the circus, it was hard not to. Between the animals and stunts there was always the potential for injury and she'd helped out whenever she could.  
  
Just before her hand reached made contact with his chest, she froze. For a moment, it felt as if her arm was no longer her own. She glanced down at Zelgadis questioningly and was startled to see the intensity in his gaze. With phenomenal effort, he shook his head; left, right, and back to center. It was an effort to do even that, but he could have yelled for her not to touch him and not gotten better results. There was a cold warning in his gaze: Don't touch it.  
  
Amelia shuddered and yanked her hand back as if she'd been burned. It'd felt as if Mister Zelgadis were yelling directly into her head. And who knew, maybe he had been. She remembered what he'd said to the guard as they were leaving Sairaag. "Cut your throat," he'd ordered. That had been the cruel thing within him, not the man looking at her now, but it seemed to have the same effect.  
  
Look, he commanded without opening his mouth and Amelia found herself compelled to do so. The blood was moving; thrashing about as if aware of what was happening. A moment later, it formed small tendrils that shot downwards into Zelgadis's wound. He tensed up, unable to suppress a hiss of agony as Grou performed its rudimentary surgery.  
  
There was a wet plop and the foreign object was worked free of Zelgadis's chest. He grunted quietly, not wanting Xellos to hear him. Thankfully, the vampire seemed to be focused on Marco to the exclusion of all else. He wished that he could hear what they were saying, but at the moment his world consisted solely of his irregular pulse hammering in his ears.  
  
Whatever had pierced Zelgadis's heart had done major damage and he had starved himself for so long that he was unable to fix it. His back arched and his feet drummed against the ground as his heart stopped for a moment. Thankfully, it decided to fight on a little longer. How much longer, though? There was the question. Hard as it was to believe, he was dying.  
  
In answer to his unspoken question, Grou showed him what had pierced his breast. The image formed in his mind's eye and although Zelgadis hadn't seen it physically, he had absolutely no doubt that what he was envisioning was what the demon had removed from his body.  
  
It was a slender chunk of wood, no more than a quarter of an inch in diameter and three inches long. It couldn't be called a wooden stake by any stretch of the imagination, being little more than a sliver really. However, its purpose was as deadly as it was obvious: immobilization of a vampire for the purpose of severing its head.  
  
Another jolt of agony shot through Zelgadis's body and he blacked out for a moment. He was briefly brought back to the land of the living by a gentle touch filled with love. He opened his eyes to see Amelia hovering over him, her eyes sparkling with tears. Sighing contentedly, he let his eyes slip closed again, wanting the last thing that he knew in the world to be her touch. His only regret was that he couldn't save her, but maybe Lina . . .? Surely, Jillas had made it back and was on their trail by now.  
  
Grou quashed that hope in an instant, matter of factly informing Zelgadis that unless he did something, Amelia was almost certainly going to die; there was no cavalry coming to save the day, or in any case, none that would arrive in time.  
  
"What would you have me do?" Zelgadis mouthed silently, far too weak to speak by this point. At that moment, he became horribly aware of Amelia's touch, of her warm hands brushing the hair from his sweat soaked face. His eyes flew open again and he stared at her in horror. No. He would not do this. Even as he denied it, his arms reached out to encircle her.  
  
Amelia looked frightened for just a moment, before realizing what he meant to do. He was going to save Marco. Comforted by that thought and not wanting to make him agonize over what he had to do any more than necessary, she leaned down, turning her head to the side to better expose the pale flesh of her throat. Telling herself that he wouldn't hurt her any more than necessary, she braced herself for the pain she knew was coming.  
  
Even after the terrifying pinpricks of his fangs piercing her throat, Amelia's resolve didn't waver a bit.  
  
Next Chapter:  
  
Notes: How's that for a cliffhanger, huh? I suppose this is as good a time as any to say that the story won't be updated again. Of course, you realize that I'm just joking, right? Hey, don't throw things at me!  
  
Poor Sarah. She went through so much in so many rewrites to get to this point. She's been shot, stabbed, torn to pieces, raped, strangled, and um, I actually think she drowned in one scenario I'd envisioned. The poor girl had a rough time of it in the idea phase, but I'm quite pleased with how the final scene turned out, so good for me, I guess.  
  
Well, on to the reviews!  
  
Reviewer Response:  
  
Ack! I'm sorry, Ichiban! Just so everyone knows, Ichiban was telling me how "cushy" she was a few weeks ago and that inspired the cushy comment by Marco when he was leaning against Amelia in the last chapter. Or at least, that's how I remember it . . . ;p I'm sorry Miss Victory, don't hurt me! It was a joke!  
  
Well, Wesley, assuming that Amelia's still around in the next few chapters (and the others for that matter), I expect we'll see a bit of Lina's talents rubbing off on her. Thanks for the compliments!  
  
Nice to hear from you too, Otaku girl. Don't be a stranger! And it was the vampire smiling, not Zel. And if you'd figured out the Marco/Amelia/Vampire thing already, I'd accuse you of being psychic!  
  
Glad you enjoyed the comedy, blue lady! And thanks for the kind words on the Zel scene!  
  
Don't hurt yourself jumping around there, Stara. Just kidding! Yeah, I'm back, in a somewhat limited capacity. Updating when inspiration strikes instead of keeping to a schedule. I think it's helped the story a lot.  
  
Ishy-chan, are you an Anne Rice fan? Because, that's the only place I'd heard about vampires not being able to feed on the dead. For the purposes of ET, blood is blood, be it living or dead.  
  
Kaitrin, I answered the first part of your question and as for the second . . . you'll have to wait and see. Sorry, I don't want to spoil too much. Especially since you know one of the larger plot points. I can't give them all away, can I?  
  
Hello, Miss Gabriev! Things aren't looking too bright for Zel and Amelia, are they? Not to mention poor Marco . . . In any case, I hope that you remained confused, in a good way, I mean.  
  
BlueJellyFish, aren't you a little young for this fic? Just kidding! Thank you for the compliments on the L/G ness. There was a bit this chapter, as you saw, and there will be more down the road.  
  
A very special thanks to my beta reader, Ichiban Victory and to my R.I.G. 


	37. Shadows of the Past

One, two, three . . . four! Marco grinned as he watched the pebble sink into the dark water, probably never to be seen again. He leaned back against the ancient oak and looked up at the sky overhead. A little more practice and he'd be better at skipping stones than Sarah. He sighed resignedly. Who was he kidding? If he could skip five times, somehow, she'd find a way to do it six times. And somehow, she'd manage to do it easily as well.

Thinking of Sarah upset him a bit. He couldn't shake the last lingering remnants of his fear from the previous night; the idea that he'd never see Sarah again haunted him. It was stupid though. She was on her way to meet him right now. She'd probably be here at any moment. He impulsively glanced towards the path leading towards her home—the eleventh time in the last five minutes, although he didn't realize it—half expecting her to emerge from the forest, already spouting some excuse for her lateness.

There was one problem with Marco's theory though: Sarah was never late. It was another of her more annoying habits. No matter how hard he tried to beat her, she'd always be waiting for him at their meeting place, arms crossed and a, "Well? I'm waiting for your explanation," look on her face. Didn't she understand that you couldn't schedule an adventurous young man's time? Why, just that morning, he'd had to follow some animal tracks through the woods to see what sort of creature it was. That had made him a good fifteen—no, he thought with a grimace—better make that twenty minutes late. And she was nowhere to be found.

Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, startling the boy. He glanced up at the sky and frowned pensively at the dark clouds looming in the distance. It wasn't supposed to rain today. He'd seen Auntie Aqua that morning on the way out of the village and she hadn't complained about her joints being sore; that was usually a sure sign that the day would be sunny and pleasant.

Staring at the roiling blackness, Marco felt a chill run down his spine. His arms broke out in goose bumps despite the fact that it was almost unpleasantly warm. Somehow, he knew that what he'd felt last night was a reality: Sarah was lost. He didn't know how he knew, but he was sure of it.

He actually felt relieved as he stood and brushed the dirt off his pants. Being sure was a lot better than not knowing. Now he could actually do something about it. Without wasting another moment, Marco set off in the direction of Sarah's village, beginning a quest that would cost him his life a thousand times.

(Scene break)

The forest was a deep shade of red, as were the moon and stars overhead. Even the sky, empty save for a smattering of small clouds, was a delightful shade of maroon. Zelgadis's entire world had turned to blood. He noted this with a sort of detached interest; the world could wait as far as he was concerned. Although it was indescribably beautiful, it paled in comparison to the woman in his arms.

Unconsciously, he squeezed Amelia tighter against him, forcing out what little wind she had left. It wasn't malice that drove him to do it, but a desire to be closer to her. He wept as he fed, hating what he was, yet at the same time, savoring what he was feeling. The two of them had suddenly been joined in a way that no lovers were ever meant to be, as she shared her life with him both in the spiritual and literal sense.

As her sweet blood flowed into him, replenishing long exhausted reserves, Zelgadis saw what Amelia really was. He knew every aspect of her: emotion and memory washing over him in overwhelming waves. Kindness, compassion, love for all those around her, innocent and sweet love for him, they were all there in that one glorious instant. There was no wickedness within her and he loved her all the more for it.

So enthralled was he with what he was experiencing, Zelgadis failed to notice that Amelia was looking worse by the moment. Her already pale countenance was losing what little color it had and her flesh was growing clammy to the touch. Even when she began to violently shiver, he only held on tighter, hissing in annoyance at her fidgeting. In that moment, he was not Zelgadis Greywords; he was a vicious predator.

The one thing that he did notice was that the euphoria that he was feeling was coming in weaker and weaker waves, but that only served to spur him on as he tried to reclaim the rapture he'd felt before. He was deterred only when Grou shrieked at him, an infinitely loud sound in the confines of his mind. He jerked his head back from her neck and slammed the back of his skull against the ground. In his daze, he got a bit of his sense back. Enough to know what he'd done to Amelia.

The vampire tapped its cheek thoughtfully, or rather, tapped the spot on its face where a cheek should have been. "What a fascinating story, child. I believe I can help you with your problem."

"Y-You can?" Marco stammered in disbelief. His eyes were as wide as saucers and were glued to the misshapen vampire's visage. "You can help me find . . ."

"Hold that thought, child," the vampire interrupted, laying a bloody finger against Marco's lips to silence him. "I'll be back in a moment. There's a little thing I have to take care of." It winked at the boy mischievously with its empty eye socket, totally spoiling the friendly effect it had been going for. "Don't move."

A smug look upon its face, the vampire stood and turned to look at Zelgadis and Amelia. How sweet, it thought, noting the way that the acrobat had draped herself across his prone form. So serene, it thought. A picture of innocent devotion, really.

For just an instant, it felt a bit of self-loathing at what it had done and what it was about to do. Guilt was an alien feeling and it seized it greedily, trying to hold onto it and examine it. Ever since its birth into dark unlife, all it had known was hunger and cruel satisfaction at doing its master's will. Compassion had been lost long ago. And with it, the ability for it to even admit that what it did was wicked. Gone. The feeling was gone as quickly as it'd arrived.

Sighing tiredly, it slumped a bit as it placed its foot against Amelia's side. "Time to put an end to things, child," it whispered exhaustedly, speaking more to itself than her. As soon as it shoved the girl over, it knew something was dreadfully wrong.

Amelia was far too limp for her to just be dazed. To be quite honest, she felt dead. Had it kicked her harder than it'd first thought? When she rolled over it saw the twin puncture marks in her throat and understood what had happened.

An irritated look on its face, the vampire leapt back, barely avoiding the first furious swipe of Zelgadis's talons. It landed gracefully about ten feet back and crouched down in anticipation of his attack. There really wasn't much it could do, however. A fully fed and healed Maker outclassed it in every way, shape, and form. Its superior skill could only do so much against his speed and strength.

Something was odd. Zelgadis was standing motionless, staring at it. Not at its face, either. What then . . .? Glancing down, it chuckled and pulled the front of its tunic closed. "Whoops!" It seemed that his wild swipe hadn't totally missed after all. "Well, it doesn't take a mind reader to see what you were thinking about," it said with a saucy grin. "You men are all the same!"

Zelgadis just stared at the vampire, his mouth agape. "You're not Xellos . . ."

"I never claimed to be, now did I?" Shaking its head in mock sadness, it said, "My, my, what would poor Amelia think if she knew you were ogling another woman?"

The comment had the desired effect of drawing Zelgadis's attention to his fallen companion. He knelt down beside her and gently caressed her face, terribly guilt written on his expression. Self-pity was marvelously effective at killing one's anger.

Zelgadis and his foe both glanced up at a sound in the woods. Crashing, rustling, and the occasional bellowed obscenity; it didn't take a vampire's senses to tell that Lina was approaching.

"Well," the vampire said quietly, "seeing as you've done my work for me, I see no reason to spend any more time here. You'll excuse me." She reached down and snatched her cloak from the ground and donned it with a flourish. Turning to Marco, she asked, "Shall we?" extending a hand to the boy.

Marco stared at her outstretched hand for what seemed like an eternity before hesitantly extending his own in return. He stared at Amelia, his mouth working but no words coming out.

"Don't worry about her, child," the vampire explained. "She's just sleeping. Now, we need to find your friend so we can get you tucked away too . . ." Her voice trailed off as she led the boy into the darkness.

"Boss!"

Zelgadis cringed at the sound of that voice. He turned to see Lina, Gourry, and Jillas staring at him, their jaws all but on the ground. He hated being stared at. Nothing upset him quite so much; it made him feel like some sort of monster. Which he was, he realized. As much as he wanted to say he was human with a few flaws, it was a lie. The evidence of that lay dead before him.

Amelia gasped and her eyes flew open. She trembled for a moment before falling still again. Not quite dead, it seemed.

Feeling an almost dizzying sensation of hope, Zelgadis took Amelia in his arms and hugged her tightly, trying to put some warmth back into her clammy flesh. He didn't know how much help it was, but she seemed to be trembling slightly less. That was something, wasn't it? It had to mean that she'd get better.

If Zelgadis hadn't been so caught up in tending to Amelia, he might have noticed the expression on Lina's face. At first, she stared at him in disbelief. His shirt was positively drenched with blood and she didn't see any wounds on him. Amelia's blood, then. She knew what he was, but never in a thousand years had she considered that he would actually do what he had obviously done.

Disbelief quickly gave way to anger, both at herself and at Zel. How could he let himself do this? Why hadn't she taken his plea to protect Amelia from him more seriously? She withdrew a stake, pointed and cruel, and began to creep up behind him. Gourry laid a hand on her shoulder and tried to tell her to take it easy for a moment. She turned and snarled at him for his efforts. He got the point and quickly gave her some space.

She sighed shakily as she took aim at Zel with the stake. She'd only get one shot at this and it had to be a good one. Getting by the wings would be the first problem; they drooped around him, lying on the ground at some points. Even if she somehow managed to get around the damn things, she still had to get to his heart from behind. All in all, this was going to be some trick.

Jillas looked as if he might tackle Lina, but seeing what Zelgadis had done to Amelia, he relented, not out of approval for what she was going to do, but out of sheer confusion. His master had killed another that he had sworn to protect. What was one supposed to do in such a situation? In the end, he stood, silently watching what happened between Lina and his master.

Deciding on a course of action, Lina lunged forward, meaning to slam the stake home and get things over with as quickly as possible. Gourry could remove his head with the Sword of Light and . . .

"Get away from me!" Zelgadis snarled, whipping his head around to glare at Lina. The way he glared at her stopped the Slayer in her tracks. There was something strange about his eyes. He whipped a single leathery wing back—almost nonchalantly flicking her away like an annoying fly.

Lina suddenly found herself airborne; it was amazing how much stronger Zel had become after feeding on Amelia. She wasn't too worried though. Sure, the tree she was hurtling towards looked pretty solid—agonizingly so as a matter of fact—but Gourry was waiting there with open arms to catch her.

Gourry stared at her with his arms open; that much was true. But, his stance and expression didn't really say, "Worry not, I'll catch you, my love," so much as, "I'm sorry, but what just happened?" One second, Lina had been charging at Zelgadis, the next she was flying. Thankfully, his keen warrior's instincts kicked in at the last moment, preventing a possible disaster. Taking a single step to the right, he dodged the crimson haired human bullet with less than an inch to spare. He winced sympathetically at the sound of her face making painful contact with unyielding oak. A moment later, to add insult to injury, she slid down the trunk to come to rest in a mud puddle. That had to hurt. "Hey, Lina, are you okay?"

"Mmph!" was all Lina could manage for the moment, as she was currently occupied with yanking her head out of the muck. She scrabbled around blindly, seeking sturdy ground to get the leverage needed to free herself.

Gourry cringed and took a step back. He wasn't quite sure what she'd said, but it sounded far from happy.

One loud "plop" and a gasp for air later, Lina was glaring daggers at her so-called protector. "What in the hell do you call that?!" she demanded. "Loyal protector my ass! Well?!"

Grinning apologetically, Gourry said, "I panicked."

Muttering numerous profanities under her breath, Lina put her hand on solid ground, meaning to pull herself up. Only, it wasn't earth that she grabbed. Surprised, she glanced down to find herself holding a scabbard bearing a familiar sword. All thoughts of punishing Gourry or even helping Amelia forgotten, she drew the blade with shaky hands. Exactly as she expected, she found herself staring at her own name etched in the silver.

Lina's sword had come back to her. And she knew that her fears were all true. Woodenly, she donned the scabbard. It was a strange sight, Lina in her ruined dress and wearing a sword at her side. She looked like a housewife gone mad. At the moment though, her appearance was the furthest thing from her mind. "Zel?" she calmly called out.

Apparently, Zelgadis had more important on his mind than Lina. He quickly alternated between looking at Amelia and staring off into space; all the while, he muttered to himself thoughtfully. "The circus? We were a part of . . . no, that can't be right. We're a demon then?"

Lina's left eye twitched almost imperceptibly, eliciting a cringe from Gourry. He recognized the incredibly ominous warning sign. Zelgadis was about to be in a lot of trouble. Not happy with being ignored at the best of times and especially not under the current circumstances, she stormed back up to the half demon and seized a handful of Zelgadis's dark hair. She yanked back on it hard enough to let him know that she meant business.

Suddenly finding himself nose to nose with the furious redhead, Zelgadis realized that maybe there were more pressing things to deal with than his conference with his internal companions. "Um, can we help you, Lina?" he asked. He said "we" without a moment of hesitation, as if it was the right thing to do. Neither he nor Lina noticed.

"Where did she go?!" Lina demanded, spraying flecks of mud on Zel's pale features. Except, he wasn't nearly as pale anymore. Had it been lighter, she was sure that there might actually be some pink in his cheeks—one of the perks of being a blood drinker. She'd deal with him later though. As much as she wanted to stay and help Amelia, she had to find the sword's owner before . . . well, before anything else happened.

Zelgadis blinked at her in surprise. "How did you know that it's a she? For that matter, how did you know the vampire was here?" he inquired. Another violent tug on his hair was the only answer he received. Lina wasn't in a mood to answer questions, it seemed. He nodded in the direction that the vampire had taken Marco, or tried to at least; Lina hadn't loosened her death grip on his scalp. Thankfully, she seemed to get the hint and released him.

Lina whipped her head around and glared at Gourry. She nodded at Zelgadis and made a slashing motion across her throat. Her command was as frightening as it was terse: If Zel tried to do anything else to Amelia, kill him. Content that it'd sunk in, she turned and stormed off into the woods in pursuit of the vampire.

Gourry looked after Lina with an expression of worry written on his face. She'd told him to stay, but something in his gut was screaming at him to follow her. He scrutinized Zelgadis briefly, trying to decide if he was still a threat. What he saw was quite startling.

A wild variety of emotions crossed his face, as if Zel didn't know what he was supposed to think about what had happened, or about anything at all, for that matter. His expression shifted from remorseful to furious to happy in the space of a few seconds. As the swordsman watched, the pattern repeated itself in reverse. In the end, he cautiously concluded that Zelgadis was far too addled to pose a threat to Amelia.

"Lina?" Gourry called in a questioning tone, turning his back on Zelgadis and Amelia in favor of pursuing his charge through the woods. He briefly wondered if what had happened to Amelia was what had affected Lina so badly, but quickly dismissed the idea. Amelia was back there. Lina was somewhere ahead of him in the dark. It was as simple as that. As he moved deeper into the darkness, he tried to figure out why she'd left.

Gourry would be the first to admit that he wasn't the sharpest knife in the shed, but . . . wait a second, "Knife in the shed"? He paused for a moment, forehead scrunched up in thought. Had he mixed up his metaphors? Sighing hopelessly, he plunged onward into the woods. He supposed that one could keep knives in the shed, but . . . wouldn't they be of better use in the kitchen? What strange people chefs were.

Anyway—to get back on track—he wasn't smart, but he was observant, he thought with a small amount of pride. As a swordsman, it was vitally important that he not miss a single detail in a foe's style. His keen eye had saved his life many times. The point was: Lina loved Amelia dearly; she felt the same about Zel as well, albeit in a more cautious way. She'd tried to keep it to herself, but Gourry had caught her smiling and laughing with her friends more times than she'd be comfortable admitting.

That realization brought a sick feeling of fear with it. Lina wouldn't have abandoned Amelia, or Zel for that matter, in their time of need unless something horrible had happened. He was sure that it had something to do with her sword. She'd been upset before she saw the blade, but upset didn't even begin to cover what he'd seen afterwards; she'd been madder than he'd ever seen her in all the time they'd been together.

"Hey, Lina!" he yelled without much hope, as he forced his way through some dense foliage. He paused for a moment, head cocked as he listened for any sign of her—rustling, the random vulgarity, anything—but was sorely disappointed. He was quickly coming to the conclusion that he was quite lost. There was just no way that she'd come this way. Just the idea that she'd gotten through the area in a dress of all things, well, it boggled the mind. How had she avoided getting snagged?

(Scene break)

Lina laboriously navigated the dense undergrowth, muttering a steady stream of the vilest obscenities under her breath. Her dress was a sad ruin of blue rags by this point, as the forest itself seemed intent on impeding her progress. "Damn it!" she growled as a particularly cruel barb drew a thin line of blood across her exposed thigh. It was a superficial wound at worst, but it'd probably itch for days while it healed.

There was a quiet hiss as her sword was drawn and a moment later, the neatly severed vine lay on the forest floor, never to trouble her again. She spared it one last venomous glare before pushing on. She wasn't usually prone to getting angry at inanimate objects . . . well, not this mad, in any case. But it was far better to be furious than the alternative; somewhere ahead of her was something from her darkest nightmares.

Still, she had to know if she was right. Okay, she knew that she was right. Zel had all but confirmed it back in the clearing, but she had to see it for herself. Anything was better than hiding in a closet somewhere crying, unsure of what lurked just out of sight. That wasn't who she was. She was Lina Inverse, damn it! Slayer . . .

The silent pep talk was quickly forgotten in favor of staring at the scene before her with her mouth hanging open. The forest had opened up into a clearing with such suddenness that she'd been momentarily taken aback.

An ancient oak tree, so thick that even Gourry wouldn't have been able to put his arms around it, dominated the scene. For a moment, it looked as if there were twin trees in the clearing, but upon closer inspection, it became obvious that one was just a reflection cast in a glassy pool of water.

Unlike the surrounding woods, which were gradually giving in to the call of winter, it was summer here. Lina got the distinct impression that it was always summer here. It was a silly idea she had to admit, but still, it felt RIGHT. Fireflies flitted across the surface of the pool as if they belonged there and not a single dead leaf marred the beauty of the area.

Momentarily forgetting her pursuit, Lina made her way to the edge of the pool and looked down into the glassy water. She frowned at the haggard young woman looking back up at her. Fiery hair, once her pride and joy, was little more than a tangled mess now. Small twigs poked out of the mess at multiple points. Her face was dark, almost black even, still smeared with mud from her tumble a few minutes ago.

Sometime during her self-examination, another face had appeared in the water beside her. She turned to see a young boy standing beside her. Well, standing was too strong a word. He looked as if he might topple over at any moment. Noting that she was looking at him, he smiled at her sleepily.

They stood there for a long moment, looking each other over curiously.

It was strange. The boy was rocking back and forth slightly, as if the ground was roiling beneath him. Lina eyed the boy thoughtfully, before clearing her throat and asking, "Um, are you drunk, Marco?"

Marco shook his head slowly, shying away from Lina a bit as he did so. And why shouldn't he? Here was another total stranger who knew his name. Lina imagined that he must have been feeling like some sort of bizarre celebrity by this point.

Taking a deep breath, Lina forced herself to smile. "You ARE Marco, right? Amelia's talked about you." She guessed it was Marco, anyway. How many kids wandered around in the dead of night? "I'm Lina. Lina Inverse." She took a step forward, extending a hand in friendship. His reaction wasn't quite what she'd hoped for.

The boy's eyes bugged out in terror and he took a quick step back. Too quick, it seemed as he tripped over his feet and tumbled to the ground. He didn't say anything as he hit—just grunted a bit when he sat down. After that, he seemed content to stare at his feet, seemingly in wonderment of how he was no longer standing on them.

"Okay . . ." Lina whispered to herself. Something was seriously wrong with the boy. "Hey," she said, trying to make her smile even wider if that was possible, "I don't bite, kid." She knelt down in front of him and looked into his eyes. They looked as if they didn't even see her.

Marco blinked at her owlishly. "Um, I think she said that too . . ." he mumbled, apparently deciding that Lina might be trustworthy. Noting her questioning look, he craned his neck to the side and explained, "She lied."

Lina mentally kicked herself for her choice of words. All of a sudden, Marco's behavior didn't seem so strange. Apparently he was somewhat lightheaded from blood loss. Twin puncture wounds were painfully visible in the soft flesh of his throat; fresh blood stained the collar of his shirt. So, the vampire had come this way . . .

She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. They were horribly vulnerable out here. The clearing that had seemed so safe and inviting before had become a huge target surrounded by innumerable shadows.

"Come on, Marco." Lina took the boy's arm and helped him none too gently to his feet. She put a hand on his shoulder to steady him and hastily dragged him towards the trees.

"W-What's wrong?" Marco stammered, finding Lina's panic infectious. He dug in his heels, unwilling to go any farther until he was reassured.

Lina silently counted to five through gritted teeth before calmly explaining, "I'm getting us out of here. It's not safe." When Marco didn't answer her, she looked down at him and was quite alarmed to see how pale he was. His mouth hung open and a bit of saliva ran down his chin. "Come on, don't do this to me now," she quietly pleaded. She knelt in front of him again and slapped him, not hard enough to really hurt, but more than enough to get his attention. "Stay with me, kid" she growled, when she saw him blink at her again.

"Ahuh, wha . . . ?" he mumbled in a questioning tone. Apparently, he was trying to say something along the lines of, "Yes, can I help you?"

"Where'd she go?" Lina asked. He seemed far more interested in the trees behind her than answering her question. "MARCO!" she snarled, giving him a good shake. When she had his attention again, she asked again, "Where. Did. She. Go?" pausing between every word so that they'd sink in.

"Where did . . . ?" Marco thought for a moment before pointing at the trees behind him. "Uh . . . that way . . . ?" he answered in a none too convincing tone.

It was enough for Lina though. They were going in the opposite direction—back to Gourry and the others. Her pursuit of the vampire would have to wait for when she was better equipped and didn't have Marco to look out for. She didn't know if she was disappointed or relieved; probably a lot of both, she decided after some deliberation.

"I don't think she's back there anymore though," Marco ventured.

"Really? Why's that?" Lina asked, not really caring, but wanting to keep him talking. If he was talking, he was conscious and she wasn't sure she could carry him back through the thicker parts of the brush.

"Um, 'cause she's standing right behind you."

(Scene break)

Amelia was going to die, Zelgadis realized as he cradled her in his arms. He was having mixed reactions to that unhappy knowledge. The bad thing about it, was that he was unable to do anything to help her.

If it'd been within his power, he would have done anything to save her—even going so far as to give his own life without a second thought.

The problem was that he was having second thoughts . . . and third ones as well. It had been what felt like an eternity since his mind was his own, but at this point, it wasn't even a pair of voices in his head; there were enough people mucking around in his head to form a committee.

The first presence was, thankfully, the most familiar one. After all, it was Zelgadis Greywords himself. For his part, he wanted so much to do something for Amelia—anything besides sitting here and watching her slip away.

That desire, no matter how strong it was, was drowned out by the newest voice to take up residence within him; it was the voice of a young woman by the name of Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun. She was pleading with him—rather loudly, now that he thought about it—to leave her behind and go to find Marco. Didn't he understand that was part of the reason that she'd made her sacrifice? To save him and Marco? Letting the poor boy be swept away by that vampire was just . . . unjust. She sent him an earnest and utterly heart-wrenching plea: Just let me go.

Zelgadis cringed, trying to get away from the guilt she was spewing in his skull. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks and his shoulders heaved as he began to loudly sob. "I . . . I don't want to!" he protested, burying his face in her shoulder to hide his grief from Jillas. It didn't help much, but it was a comfort not having to see the questions on his face anymore. "I won't leave you!"

In addition to her thoughts, Zelgadis had received something else from Amelia—something that overwhelmed him with guilt and self-loathing; he'd taken her life. Oh, he hadn't killed her, not yet in any case. As much as she begged him to leave her, she struggled to stay among the living. It was instinct.

No, what Zelgadis had taken from her—what had overwhelmed him so horribly—was everything that she was. He could vividly recall a childhood spent in a circus, growing up around all sorts of exotic animals. He tasted something sweet, almost cloyingly so. Amelia's voice cheerfully informed him that it was cotton candy. Then, the taste was gone in an instant as other thoughts were flung to the forefront of his consciousness.

He stopped weeping for a moment, unable to manage any expression besides a wide, slightly dopey grin. He felt euphoric, loving everything about himself. From his handsome features to his "really cool" wings and "neat" fangs, he saw himself in a totally new light—the way Amelia saw him. Underlying all those thoughts was an unshakeable sense of trust; she truly and honestly believed that Zelgadis would never harm her. That was what hurt the worst; that was why he wept. He'd seen Amelia's faith that, despite what he might think to the contrary, he was inherently a good and kind man. Knowing that someone could think so kindly of him, especially someone as loving as Amelia, made it that much harder to accept how he'd betrayed her. It was true that she'd made the offer, but he'd failed her by accepting.

Somehow, even as that cacophony of love, guilt, joy, and despair raged within his skull, the smallest of voices could be heard—a musical voice, not unlike the song of wind chimes. The blood demon Grou had spoken up at last.

Zelgadis had a strange mental image of a violently ill winged demon. Apparently, Grou was feeling a bit under the weather. If he had to guess, he'd think that it was a little unhappy with the torrent of love and cotton candy that had suddenly flooded its formerly dark home.

Grou wasted absolutely no time in informing Zelgadis that he was quite right about his assumption. Sharing a mind with Amelia wasn't exactly what it would call pleasant. That wasn't important though. What mattered was that it knew how to save the girl.

A look of suspicion on his face, Zelgadis wondered why exactly Grou wanted him to save a life that he personally found to be quite repugnant. Especially given the fact that it had tried to get him to feed on her not even a day ago.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, Grou calmly informed him. They had been starving for days now. Even as a passenger in his mind, Grou had felt the hunger. And it had driven him into a bit of a rage.

"A bit" Zelgadis muttered under his breath. "You would have had me kill Amelia before. Why not now?"

Grou's denial was so vehement, Zelgadis briefly wondered if his skull had cracked from the pressure. A picture formed in his mind a moment later. This time, the winged devil was patting Amelia on the head, in what looked as if it was supposed to be an affectionate manner. It would have been cute, had her chin not been bouncing off her chest every time its claws came down atop her skull. It wasn't so much patting her head as dribbling it. The point of the image was clear though: I like Amelia and want to see her live.

"All right, you've made your point!" Zelgadis yelled aloud, startling Jillas, who had been surreptitiously trying to see to Amelia without getting his master's attention.

Grou smiled and ceased its demonstration of affection for Amelia. For her part, she looked extremely grateful and quickly scampered out of the mental demon's reach. It ignored her ingratitude in favor of staring right into Zelgadis's eyes. He didn't know how it was able to stare into his eyes considering that it was little more than the dark thoughts hiding at the back of his mind, but stare it did, nonetheless.

"How can I help her?" he asked, staring right back at Grou. Back in the real world, he felt Amelia shudder in his arms; she wouldn't last much longer. Try as he might though, he couldn't see her. He felt trapped by the dark pits of Grou's eyes. "Tell me how," he repeated, refusing to flinch under its inhuman gaze.

"Give something back," it replied.

(Scene break)

Lina tried to whip around and face her attacker, even though she knew it was pointless. Just as she expected, she was stopped in mid turn by an icy hand on the back of her neck.

"Make one more move and I'll twist your pretty little head off your shoulders," the vampire said quite coolly. She gave Lina a terse shake for emphasis. "Nod if you understand."

"Yes, ma'am," Lina whispered, not daring to budge.

"Did I tell you to speak? What part of 'nod' don't you understand?" the vampire hissed. She shook Lina again, making the redhead's teeth rattle. "Are you too obstinate to follow directions or just plain stupid?"

Lina cringed at the scathing question, but could think of absolutely nothing to say in return. Here was the woman who had traded verbal barbs with the Hellmaster himself, bereft of even a shred of self-confidence and pride.

"Now, we're going to try this again. I'm going to search you now. Do you understand that I will kill you without a second thought if you try anything stupid?" Her voice taking on a tone of biting sarcasm, the vampire added, "And I know that this is a terribly difficult concept to grasp, but nod your head, please. I don't want any misunderstandings."

Chewing her lower lip in an attempt to hold back the tears stinging her eyes—she knew that if she cried the vampire would certainly kill her—Lina nodded quickly, resembling nothing so much as a child that had been scolded for some mischief.

When she was sure that Lina wasn't going to try anything stupid, the vampire pressed herself against Lina's back and methodically went about the task disarming the Slayer. The sword and scabbard were snatched and flung to the side; the small dagger hidden in an apron pocket suffered the same fate.

For just a moment, Lina felt a pang of stupid hope that the stake she'd concealed in her blouse would go unnoticed. Those hopes plummeted when she felt a cool hand slip down her chest. She flinched a bit at the sensation; even after all she'd experienced, getting felt up by something that basically amounted to a walking talking cadaver was a little unnerving. Her insolence earned her another violent shake.

"Lina, did I or did I not tell you to keep still?" the vampire sighed into the redhead's ear. "Ah, here we are!" she exclaimed triumphantly, yanking her prize from its hiding place. "Really, Lina," she chastised, "In addition to being a rather poor hiding place—forgive me for saying so, but it jutted out further than your breasts—what do you think would have happened if you'd tripped? I daresay it would have been quite a painful way to die, impaled upon your own stake, don't you think? Not to mention embarrassing." Sighing in disappointment, she flung the stake aside. "You stupid girl. I've never seen such gross ineptitude . . ."

There was more to the vampire's diatribe, but by this point Lina was aware of naught but her pulse pounding in her ears. There was stinging pain in her palms; she would realize sometime later that she'd balled her hands up so tightly that she'd drawn blood with her nails. Her vision was blurry and her legs felt as if they might betray her and give out at any moment. This was what she'd been dreading for months on end. She didn't know what she'd expected when she finally heard that cool voice again. Fear, maybe. And she had felt fear for a moment, hadn't she? But, never in her wildest dreams had she thought that she'd feel angry. Yet, before she knew what she was doing, she'd flung an elbow back into her tormentor's ribs, earning a few inches of space in which to maneuver. A moment later, she'd whirled around, an inhuman snarl upon her face. With murderous precision, she thrust her fingertips into the vampire's throat, crushing its windpipe. The strike would have left a normal man lying on the ground dying from asphyxiation. Just like Sis had taught her.

Her foe was not a normal man, however. The vampire staggered back and coughed, but nothing more. A moment later, she'd almost nonchalantly backhanded Lina across the face, sending her to the ground. "Oh, that's a fine, 'How do you do?'" she croaked indignantly, taking a step back from the fallen redhead. She coughed roughly and her voice returned to some semblance of normalcy, Lina's damage already undoing itself.

"Okay, that sucked," Lina mumbled, painstakingly propping herself up on her elbows. Her mouth was filled with a coppery taste and she grimaced; she hated the taste of her blood. It usually meant that things weren't going well. She spat in a very unladylike manner and took a moment to catch her breath. Somehow, she knew that there would be no follow up on the initial blow. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed her suspicion; the vampire stood over her, eyeing her thoughtfully.

"Wipe your face," the ivory-cloaked figure instructed after a moment of contemplation. "I'd rather not slip again like I did with the boy." She nodded in Marco's direction. "You have my apologies, Marco."

Lina automatically did as she was told, wiping the blood from her mouth. She turned and looked at Marco who was sitting a few feet away. He wore a glassy eyed expression and didn't seem to notice that his name had been mentioned.

"Having trouble controlling your impulses?" Lina mused aloud. Trying to catch a glimpse of the face under the hood, she said, "You used to preach self control to me all the time, Sis. What happened?" Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth when she realized what had slipped out. Whatever this thing had been before, it was no longer her sister. It was a creature of darkness and it wouldn't do to be too familiar with her . . . "It," she mentally corrected. Not her.

"Well," Luna replied in a tone dripping with arrogance, "you're hardly one to talk about self control, Lina. Tell me, did you disobey my last request immediately or did you at least wait a few days to grieve?"

Lina shook her head mutely, having no words for her sister. There was no defense for what she'd done. Luna's dying cry from five years ago echoed in her mind. "Run." Such a simple request and Lina couldn't even manage that. Even as Luna had taught Lina her skills, there'd always been the most important lesson hanging over her head. She was never supposed to follow in Luna's footsteps. In the event that she ever was in danger, she was supposed to run away if possible.

Noting that Luna was still staring at her from under her white hood, awaiting some answer, Lina shrugged helplessly and muttered, "Sorry." What else could she say?

Luna held her sister's gaze for a moment longer, seeming to search for something in her ruby eyes. "You're sorry," she repeated after a moment. Fetching a sigh of utter disappointment, she said, "Lina, I wouldn't be quite as upset if you at least did our work well. However, as it stands, you are quite possibly one of the most disappointing examples of a Slayer that I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. I'm ashamed that I even taught you and even more so that we share the same blood."

Try as she might, Lina was unable to suppress a quiet sniffle at the thought of how cruel Luna was being to her. What happened to the loving sister that had looked out for her after their parents had died? Sure, she had been stern—as an authority figure, she'd had to be sometimes—but even so, first and foremost, she'd been Lina's best friend. Her Sis. "I . . . I can't believe you just said that . . ." she whispered.

"Does it hurt?" Luna inquired in return. The expression on Lina's face was all the answer she needed. "Good." She knelt down next to Marco and, taking his hand, gently helped him to his feet. Her voice practically dripping with kindness, she asked him, "Are you alright, child? Don't worry, this will be over soon." She put an arm around his shoulders to steady him.

Her sister's choice of words sent a chill down Lina's spine. "You're not going to hurt him," she growled threateningly, as she reached for a sword that wasn't there.

"Did you hear that?" Luna asked Marco in a tone of mock hurt, "My idiot sister thinks the worst of me even when I try to do her job for her. There's gratitude for you. Am I going to hurt you, Marco?" Noting the nervous expression on the boy's face, she swatted his arm playfully. "Well, again, I mean. Am I going to hurt you again?"

Marco shook his head slowly.

"And why not?"

"B-Because you want to help me rest."

(Scene break)

"Amelia! Welcome home!" boomed a voice full of wicked joviality.

Amelia's head ached at the sound. A moment later, she felt something warm running down either side of her neck. Curious, she gingerly touched the fluid and held her hand up in front of her face. Assuming she had a hand of course. It was so dark wherever she was that she couldn't be sure. Had she been able to see, she would have been surprised at the amount of blood flowing from her ears; the sound of that voice had caused her eardrums to explode—the first of many agonies awaiting her.

"I'm so happy to see you, young lady." There was a thoughtful pause before the voice corrected itself. "Well, that's not quite true, I must admit." Two crimson eyes, as large as carriage wheels, glared at the girl in the darkness. "In a way, I'm sorry to see you so soon. I had such expectations for you."

Her head positively throbbing by that point, Amelia cringed, her hands quickly moving to conceal her nakedness; she was fully dressed and yet, felt as if those horrid eyes were looking through her clothes, even going so far as to see through flesh, blood and bone to pierce the darkest recesses of her very being.

Teeth, jagged and horrible, glinted in the darkness. "Soft meat, so sweet, praise Ceiphied, let's eat!" The demon roared with laughter at the idea of the Flare Dragon blessing so profane a meal. The ground shook as it advanced on the terrified girl.

Just before it reached her, Amelia felt liquid heat hit her tongue. It struck her with such intensity that she was momentarily knocked senseless. Falling to her knees, she felt it roll down her throat to pool in her stomach. Fire was the first thing she'd thought of to describe the sensation, but it wasn't painful. It was refreshing, making her feel more alive than she'd ever been.

"Well, it seems that I was mistaken."

Amelia looked up to see a misshapen horror standing over her, talons raised to deal a killing blow. She screamed and covered her eyes, but it was too late. The image of the demon was burned into her unconscious mind for the rest of her days, to be remembered for a moment whenever she'd awaken from a nightmare.

The demon was easily twenty feet tall with massive horns erupting from its ebony skin with no discernable pattern. It was vaguely humanoid . . . well, in the sense that it had two arms, two legs, and a head atop its shoulders. But that's where the similarities ended. Raw and bleeding flesh was layered upon more flesh, not even matching but seeming to mesh nonetheless. Its black flesh—so dark it seemed to suck what little light was around it—faded into paler skin at the juncture between its right arm and shoulder. A similar merging of the flesh took place in its left leg and the wicked looking tail swishing behind it.

Curling into a fetal position, Amelia wailed at the top of her lungs. She'd only looked for a second. Only a second, but she'd seen.

Faces. Hundreds of agonized expressions leered at her from the demon's maimed limbs. The demon had fashioned its limbs from the wicked flesh of a thousand rapists and murderers. Who knew how long it had spent in darkness, working flesh like clay, shaping it to its needs.

"Just over two months," the demon answered, ignoring the girl's whimpers. It flexed its arm experimentally, causing the human components to cry out in agony as bones snapped and organs were crushed. They weren't even dead, these sad ruins of humanity. "Much quicker than I could have ever hoped for. It's a wicked world you inhabit, Amelia, rife with chaos and corruption."

There was something horribly familiar about this creature and Amelia found herself compelled to look upon its face. She shuddered at the sight of an impossibly large rent in the demon's forehead. It looked as if its skull was all but split in two.

"A parting gift from your friend. Never have I been wounded so grievously as when I faced Lina Inverse." There was venom in the Hellmaster's tone, but Amelia could have sworn that she detected a bit of awe as well.

"Awe?" Hellmaster drew himself up to his full height and Amelia covered her eyes in the face of his fury. "I'd flay you alive for such insolence if we had but a few moments more. However, it seems that our time together is coming to an end. I will remember this insult though. Sixty, eighty, or a hundred years, it's the blink of an eye for one who is eternal. When we meet again, I'll see you and Lina both spitted." Even as he threatened, she sensed that his terrible voice was fading as if he was at a great distance. "I told you once that you had beautiful eyes. I'll enjoy sucking them from your skull one day . . ."

Hellmaster's visage evaporated like mist in the morning and Amelia promptly forgot the encounter; it had possessed the qualities of a dream and she rarely remembered such things. Most of her dreaming was done while she was awake.

Amelia felt as if she were floating and then falling. Before she even had time to worry about it, she'd slammed back into herself with a jolt. She was alive again. The first thing she noticed was that she still felt incredibly hot. Whatever had brought her back strengthened her at what was almost a terrifying rate and felt like she could take on the world in that instant. The rest of her senses came back to her one by one. First, she became aware of the taste—that wonderfully bitter essence flowing over her tongue. Next was the feeling of powerful arms gently cradling her body and the gentle touch of warm lips pressed against her own. She smiled, knowing before she even opened her eyes who was holding her.

Kissing Zelgadis was nice, far better than the silly little fantasies she'd entertained while sitting around the campfire with him in the evening. Silly little dreams that always involved sitting out under the stars—even in her dreams, Amelia was far too considerate to make poor Mister Zelgadis sit out in the sun—and invariably culminated in a situation, much like this one.

With a trembling hand, she reached up to stroke his cheek. It was like she'd imagined: flawless, like a statue of marble. There wasn't a wrinkle, scar, or blemish to be found. The only difference between fantasy and reality was that he was far warmer than she'd ever imagined; it was like being embraced by a furnace.

Zelgadis finally drew back and Amelia finally understood what he'd been doing. Blood was smeared around his mouth; he'd punctured his tongue and returned some of what he'd taken from her. She felt a momentary pang of revulsion, coupled with disappointment. So, he hadn't kissed her because he loved her then . . .

As if reading her thoughts, Zelgadis's expression changed from one of relief to disappointment. He did have feelings for her. It was just hard to admit. He didn't dare allow himself to get too close to her. Next time, he might not be able to stop himself from hurting her. Next time . . .

Amelia silenced that train of thought by running her hand over his face again. Just being able to touch him was such a relief. He'd never let her close and, truth be told, she was a little frightened as well. She'd never really loved anyone before and . . .

. . . didn't know how to deal with it. Zelgadis kissed the palm of her hand before drawing her close and hugging her tightly. He hadn't known either. He'd never had anyone care about him before and couldn't be sure if she was sincere or not. He felt as if an incredible weight had been lifted from his shoulders. She had been afraid too. Somehow, that made him feel better about his own apprehensions.

Sensing his relief, Amelia smiled and hugged him in return. She didn't know it was possible to be so happy. She briefly entertained the notion that she'd died and gone on to her eternal reward. The emotions that she was feeling were more intense than any she'd ever experienced before. And why not? She was experiencing her own love twice over—once when she felt it and redoubled when she felt Zelgadis's response.

For his part, Zelgadis was struggling to stay aware in the face of all the emotions buffeting him. He'd never been very open with his feelings, often electing to lock them away for fear that they'd be used against him, so this was even more overwhelming for him. But, as he felt the feelings wash over him, he realized something: he liked it. Not just liked it but savored it. It was liberating to know someone like this and to be known.

Encouraged by that realization, Zelgadis whispered sweet things into Amelia's ears—not words, so much as emotions given voice. The sound of his voice startled them both and they drew back momentarily and stared at one another.

Speaking of—well—speaking, until Zelgadis had voiced his love for her, it had been awfully quiet. Gazing into one another's eyes, comprehension dawned on them simultaneously: they hadn't spoken a word for the last five minutes, yet had exchanged a multitude of thoughts. They understood one another implicitly.

With that knowledge, came the realization that they both wanted the same thing in that moment. And so, they kissed again, forgetting for the moment their troubles and those of their friends.

Somewhere in the dark, Lina faced an enemy she'd never imagined and for the moment, it seemed that she must face Luna alone . . .

(End)

Next Chapter: Lina's past has come back to haunt her in the most literal way possible. Gourry rushes to her side, but will he make it in time? Even if he does, will it be enough?

Notes: First off, if you're wondering about the lovely little "Scene Breaks" thrown in there to totally pull you out of the story, the damn quickedit program eats my "". If anyone has any idea of how to get around this adorable little quirk, please e-mail me. It's driving me nuts.

In any case, I'm really really sorry about how long I'm letting this thing go between chapters. Suffice to say, I haven't been in the best mood as of late. That coupled with a downright hellish schedule (I've been getting 2-3 hours of sleep at night of late) and it makes for longer intervals between chapters.

But, enough about that! Big chapter and I loved how it came out (and it only took 3-4 rewrites. How about that?). The vampire in white's identity revealed (or is it?) and an amazingly fun to write cameo by the Hellmaster himself. All in all, I'm quite pleased with how it's come out.

If you feel the urge to review (and if not, shame on you!) kindly tell me if Luna was a surprise to you. I've been worried for months that I'd given too much away.

Until next time!

Reviewer Response:

Wow! So many reviews this time! I'm gonna try to keep this short, to avoid running up the word count too much.

What? You can't accept that Grou's a really nice guy, Kaitrin? Just look at how nice he was to Amelia in this chapter!

Okay, Ichiban, everyone knows that you knew who the vampire was! - Just for the record, everyone, she had it pegged way back in the early 20s. Smart girl, she is.

Ishy-chan, the dead blood thing is very Rice-esque, just for the record. You pegged the Marco thing that early? I've got to start making things tougher for you people!

Well, if it made you laugh, it's comedy if I meant it to be or not, right, Otaku Girl? Yep, that was the big inspiration for Gourry's parents' names. I kind of like them myself.

That's a pretty well thought out idea, Airi-chan. You'll just have to wait and see where Grou ended up. I haven't quite figured it out myself. Suffice to say, any chance to cause chaos, I'm sure he'll take.

Hello, Brenda! Thanks for the kind words on my other fics. They do tend to end on a bittersweet note, don't they? Hmm, makes me wonder how this one's going to end . . . In any case, I think I'm going to try to write "The Taming of Lina Inverse" between this one and Eternal Twilight 2.

Wesley, you'll just have to wait and see! But, I will tell you that the only dragon in the story is Ceiphied. I'm not quite ready to say what Valgaav and Filia are . . .

But, Miss Gabriev, I thought you didn't want me to kill the characters! Make up your mind already! Just kidding! Thanks for the kind words.

Rigel? Um, did you just call me "sweetie"? Thanks! I think . . .


	38. Siblings

"Sarah!" Marco's voice cracked midway through his friend's name, making it sound like a croak. He winced and rubbed his throat. He'd been calling her name for an hour and was starting to lose his voice. It didn't stop him though. She'd never been late before; something terrible had happened to her. He'd thought the idea foolish earlier, but his misgivings the previous evening coupled with her tardiness today . . . Well, he wouldn't rest until he'd found her. He'd given her his word.  
  
Still, it would be nice to get a drink of water . . . He coughed loudly—an extremely painful sound. He was going hoarse and his throat felt like sandpaper. At the rate things were going, Sarah wouldn't even be able to hear him. He desperately took in his surroundings, looking for a stream, puddle, or even a fallen leaf filled with the last remnants of the morning dew. Anything would do at this point.  
  
He almost missed it at first—the sound of water dripping. He was on the verge of dismissing it as a figment of his imagination when the breeze picked up, blowing shockingly cool air across his legs. Cool and moist he noted with no small amount of glee. Looking around, it didn't take long for him to see the source: a small hole in the ground. He was lucky that he hadn't stepped in it, as he probably would have broken his ankle.  
  
Upon closer inspection, what he'd first assumed was a small rut in the ground actually turned out to be a decent sized opening. Cool air blew across his face again, indicating that it stretched fairly far into the earth. It wasn't nearly large enough to be called a cave, but was just wide enough for an ambitious young man to wiggle into, which he proceeded to do.  
  
There was something creepy about the tunnel—it was obvious that's what it was as it seemed to stretch on forever—and he hesitated on the threshold between light and darkness. Glancing over his shoulder, he gazed longingly at the sunlight in the trees and for a moment, considered turning back.  
  
In that instant of doubt, another wave of cool air caressed his face, beckoning him onwards. With the promise of cool comfort and water, the light was totally forgotten and Marco pressed on towards his death . . .

* * *

"Rest?" Lina muttered curiously. "What are you talking about?" She loved her sister, but it never ceased to amaze her—and infuriate, to be quite honest—that Luna always seemed to excel at everything.  
  
Since they'd been children, Luna had been far more than a beloved sibling. It wasn't even hero worship really, although Lina was aware that she'd tried to emulate her sister in everything from mannerisms to hairstyle. No, Luna had been an ideal—the ideal—something to strive for.  
  
Even now, Lina wondered if she would ever measure up to Luna's standards.  
  
Apparently, she wasn't measuring up tonight, as Luna was obviously disappointed with Lina's performance. "Honestly. Must I spell it out for you, Lina?" the elder Inverse asked with a sigh of annoyance. "Rest. As in, this child is no longer with us." Turning a favoring smile upon the boy, she added, "And yet, here he stands, looking like the personification of youthful exuberance." The smile turned cruel as she gazed into his glassy eyes. "Well, not so exuberant at the moment, but it's quite understandable given what he's been through."  
  
"What you did to him, you mean," Lina corrected icily. She wanted to keep Luna talking and, more importantly, to keep her attention off the child. Her sister had already admitted to losing control once and Lina would rather be the target of Luna's wrath should it happen again.  
  
"So very rude," Luna replied with an irritated shake of her head. "If you must quibble, then yes, I've hurt this child and worse; I've killed him. I've been feeling a little under the weather lately and I needed . . . sustenance."  
  
"You killed an innocent child?" Lina whispered in disbelief. She knew what vampires did, but it was still unthinkable that Luna would do such a thing. "Defend the innocent from darkness," she said, unconsciously invoking the Slayers credo. It seemed that her sister was little more than a twisted mockery of her former self.  
  
"Oh spare me the theatrics," Luna said with a sneer. "I know the rules better than you do. Tell me, Miss High and Mighty, have you ever had your face scraped off? No? Well, take my word for it that it stings like a bitch. I was starving when I took this boy two nights ago. I bled him dry, tore him to pieces, and sucked the marrow from his bones."  
  
Marco glanced up at Luna, wearing an expression like a rabbit caught in a hunter's snare—talk of his own death was a little upsetting, it seemed—but thankfully, she seemed to only have eyes for Lina in that moment.  
  
"It was pleasurable. Pointless, of course, but pleasurable. It's hard to draw nourishment from something that's little more than a sad memory given shape." Luna shook her head irritably. "But, we're not here to talk about me and my feeding habits. We're here to help Marco."  
  
She was about to continue, but paused and cocked her head. Lina heard it too; Gourry was calling her name. Far from making her feel better, it made her even more fearful. Gourry had no idea of what he was getting into.  
  
"Well, it looks as if things are about to get interesting. Marco?" Luna clapped the boy on the shoulder to get his attention. "Run and hide, will you? I'll be along shortly." She watched him stumble away for a moment. "He's going to die again, you know," she said, turning her attention back to Lina. "He's lost too much blood. I expect that he'll pass out somewhere out in the woods and not wake up again." She grinned wickedly. "Get by me and you might be able to save him. But, before we get to that, I've got a question, Lina."  
  
Lina nodded, indicating that she was listening.  
  
"You didn't seem surprised to see me. Well, not as surprised as I'd hoped. I expected you to bawl your eyes out—you were such a whiny child—but you showed a lot of spine. How'd you know?"  
  
"A couple things," Lina said with a shaky sigh. "It was the sword—your sword. When I saw it again, I just knew. And Amelia telling me about the purple hair and the singing. You've always had such a beautiful voice, Sis. That was part of it." She ran a hand through her hair, mussing it even more than it already was. "But, you know what the first thing was? The thing that really made me start to think? It was just after I left Sairaag. Do you remember that?"  
  
"It was the little care package," Luna muttered thoughtfully.  
  
"That's right. I saw the clothes—clean and mended—the stakes, and the dagger and that's when I first got this stupid little idea." She laughed, but didn't really feel it. The only emotion that she could conjure at the moment was sadness. Somehow, seeing her sister here was worse than knowing that she was in a grave somewhere. "It was like . . ." She shrugged helplessly, trying to find the words. "I don't know . . . it was like . . . like you were there, looking out for me again. Like when we were little." Sensing tears stinging the corners of her eyes, she chuckled and snapped her fingers as if just remembering something—anything to stave off her crying. "Oh, and your grave was empty. That clued me in a bit too."  
  
"Empty?!" Luna blurted out before she could catch herself.  
  
"Yeah . . . empty," Lina repeated, sensing that something was amiss. Why should Luna be surprised that her grave was vacant? She was up and walking around after all.  
  
"Well, it seems that even I miss things once in a while." Before Lina could even ask what she'd meant, Luna waggled a finger and said, "That's enough chit chat. Let's begin, shall we?"  
  
Lina's expression hardened and she gave Luna the slightest of nods. Dropping into her stance, she had to mentally remind herself to breathe. Now wasn't the time to be trembling either. She'd beaten Hellmaster, right? Surely she could beat a run of the mill vampire . . . who happened to be her sister . . . the sister that had taught her everything . . . outclassed her in every way . . . and was currently running away . . .  
  
"What the hell?!" Lina incredulously exclaimed as she watched Luna's cloak vanish into the forest.

* * *

"Lina? Lina?!" Gourry called, time and again. He didn't really expect an answer—he'd been calling her name for ten minutes now—but it made him feel useful at least. She might be out there somewhere unable to answer. If she heard his voice, she might . . . He shook his head in irritation. He was working himself up over nothing at the moment. He didn't know why she had stormed off all of a sudden. Worrying about it wasn't doing anything for either of them.  
  
He knew that in his head, but his gut told a different story; Lina was out there and she needed him—maybe more than ever before. And if he kept dragging his feet, something horrible was going to happen to her.  
  
Referring to what he was doing as "dragging his feet" was a little unfair on his part; every few feet he'd come across a particularly dense bit of brush—always sporting innumerable thorns—or got tripped up on a concealed root or vine. His progress was maddeningly slow and he had thoughts of his much smaller companion casually skipping through the obstacles as if they weren't there.  
  
Somehow, that angered him even more. She was so far ahead by that point that it was a lost cause, he was sure. And it didn't help a bit that his surroundings seemed to be actively hindering his progress. Grunting in frustration, he ducked, narrowly avoiding a tree branch that snapped back and threatened to lash him across the face; the infuriating thing was that he didn't even remember pushing it out of the way to begin with.  
  
That was the straw that broke the camel's back, it seemed. Subtlety be damned, he thought as he drew the Sword of Light. He may as well have painted a target on his chest for all the light he was giving off, but it was worth it. The blade shone with near blinding intensity, casting a golden hue on everything around him.  
  
Huh. That was odd. Gourry raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the sight of a narrow dirt path stretching out before him. Had he just not noticed it while stumbling around in the dark? He looked around briefly, partially to assure himself that nothing unfriendly had taken an interest in his light, but more out of simple curiosity. The trees were strange. It looked as if they'd actually receded a bit. He started to wonder at the phenomenon, but quickly nipped the thought in the bud; Lina was waiting for him somewhere ahead.  
  
He broke into a run—heedless of whatever danger might lie ahead—and exploded from the forest in a flurry of leaves a few moments later. A fairly large clearing stood before him, dominated by a majestic oak tree and a small pond. Gourry the swordsman analyzed this information in an instant and determined that it would be foolish to walk into the open without knowing what awaited him.  
  
Despite what his instincts were screaming, he walked out anyway. It seemed that the swordsman in him was easily vanquished in the face of love and devotion to duty. He'd spied a familiar and much beloved redhead in the clearing. "Hey, Lina!" he called out, raising his hand in greeting. All thoughts of danger cast aside, he sheathed the Sword of Light. The area was immediately plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the pale stars above.  
  
Lina's greeting wasn't nearly as pleasant as he'd expected. "You idiot!" she bellowed, running towards him with arms waving. "Draw the sword! Draw the . . ."  
  
Gourry was immediately on edge and reached for his sword again. He hesitated for a split second, however. His senses screamed at him that something was amiss in the scene before him. The sounds he was hearing didn't exactly match what he was seeing. Lina was running at him and he heard her warning and the rustle of her footsteps in the grass; that much made sense. What was utterly perplexing was the fact that he heard a second set of footsteps that fell perfectly in time with hers. Except . . .  
  
They were coming from his right. He mentally cursed himself for not getting it sooner, even as he turned to face his attacker. "Light come . . ."  
  
"None of that," Luna hissed as she closed the distance between herself and the swordsman. She lashed out with a kick and connected with Gourry's sword hand, driving the weapon back into its sheath with a loud click.  
  
Gourry grunted in pain, but somehow managed to maintain his hold on the hilt. His hand stung horribly, but he didn't think any of his fingers were broken.  
  
God, the woman was good, he noted. She'd left no opening after her initial strike and was already rearing back to hit him again. That was a mistake though. If she was pulling back—even for an instant—it gave him all the room he needed to draw the Sword of Light again.  
  
A smug grin tugging at the corner of his lips, Gourry tightened his grip on the sword and pulled it free of its sheath. "Light come forth!" he yelled. He was rewarded with light that rivaled that of the sun and the shadows were driven back.  
  
Luna's face—what there was of it in any case—was illuminated for a moment before she ducked under his opening slash. She lost a bit of her cloak, but it was a fair trade for keeping her head. Her skin gave off wisps of dark gray smoke and sizzled in the artificial sunlight, but she moved as if she didn't even notice. Even before he'd finished his swing, she'd struck again—a stinging blow across the top of his forearm.  
  
He hadn't been ready for that. Although the blow barely hurt, it added a great deal of unanticipated momentum to his strike and his battered fingers were unable to maintain their grip on the sword. A confused expression on his face, he watched as the blade flew through the air, extinguished, and came to rest somewhere in the bushes skirting the clearing. Well, that certainly wasn't good.  
  
There wasn't any time to ponder the loss of his sword, however. In the next instant, he felt Luna's hands on his arm. She turned, exposing her back to him.  
  
An almost inaudible grunt was the only indication that what Luna did next was anything but simple. In a single fluid motion, she leaned forward and flipped Gourry over her shoulder and onto his back at her feet.  
  
The air was driven forcefully from his lungs on impact. He briefly recalled that he'd often been on the receiving end of this kind of treatment during his training with Rodimus. His mistakes during practice were usually followed up by the view of his master standing over him with the point of a sword aimed at his throat.  
  
The only difference now was that it was a small woman that had laid him low and it wasn't a sword hovering over him; it was her foot, raised and on the verge of driving downward into the bridge of his nose. She was going to kill him.  
  
Lina tackled the cloaked woman and drove her to the ground just before Luna's heel came down. The two women rolled around on the ground struggling to bite, kick, and claw at one another; at least, that's what he first thought. Quickly regaining his feet, he watched the tangle of limbs briefly for a moment, marveling at their technique. They weren't so much striking one another as trying to break, dislocate, or otherwise immobilize one another's extremities.  
  
It actually made a lot of sense, he thought as he turned to search for the Sword of Light. He wanted to help Lina and the best way to do that was to find his sword. After all, he wasn't a chef.  
  
Lina had explained to him one night—repeatedly—the vampire rules. You had to use a garlic steak to kill them; nothing else worked. Except for the Sword of Light, of course. He paused with his hands in a patch of poison ivy to ponder that for a moment. Garlic didn't really taste that good on steak, but it seemed to be a little extreme to die from it. And did that mean that his sword was made of garlic? He hadn't noticed an odor. Oh well.  
  
Anyway, since vampires could grow anything back, including their heads, punches and kicks didn't really do much to faze them. Breaking limbs was a good way to slow them down though. It took them a few minutes to sort injuries like that out, possibly buying Lina enough time to serve them their steak.  
  
Gourry grimaced when he realized that his hands were still in the poison ivy, but his irritation quickly turned to joy; the Sword of Light glinted enticingly from its spot atop a pile of nearby leaves.  
  
Before he could pick it up, he heard the rustle of cloth and was enveloped in a white cloak. A moment later, he felt cool arms encircle his neck and Luna's weight was suddenly on his back. He coughed roughly as her forearm slammed into his throat, cutting off his air supply.  
  
Even as his face began to turn blue, Gourry was still struggling to regain his footing. Luna was much smaller than he was—no taller than Lina, really and light as a feather. Still, every time he tried to rise from a kneeling position, she was there to kick his legs out from under him. And all the while she hung on with the tenacity of a tick.  
  
His vision starting to go black around the edges, he finally decided to surrender. Better to be awake and her hostage than unconscious and of no use to Lina at all.  
  
Luna sensed his struggles weakening and swung him around so that he was between her body and Lina. "Not one move from either of you!" she snarled in his ear, thankfully loosening her grip on his neck so that he might draw breath.  
  
Gourry saw Lina running towards them, but she stopped short at her sister's command. He briefly wondered what had taken her so long, but saw long scratches on her arms and legs. Blood trickled from her nose; he couldn't tell if it was from a blow or because Luna had nipped her during their scuffle. Luna fought harder than she'd anticipated it seemed.  
  
"Don't worry about me, Lina!" Gourry yelled, struggling to free himself from Luna's grasp despite her threats. "Cook her steak!"  
  
"What?!" the sisters exclaimed in unison.  
  
Luna was the first to recover her composure. "Oh my. Lina, what have you been telling this man?" She sniggered loudly in his ear, barely controlling her mirth. "A master Slayer indeed . . ."  
  
"No!" Lina yelped, waving her arms frantically. "No, that's not what I told him! Gourry, you stupid jellyfish!"  
  
"Oh that's lovely!" Luna said, laughing even louder at Lina's embarrassment. Her voice a sensuous purr, she whispered, "You know, I like you. You're cute and funny." She playfully flicked his earlobe with the tip of her tongue and raised her voice just enough for Lina to hear. "Just what are you doing with a homely little mongrel like my sister? I'm sure she's . . . 'energetic', but wouldn't you prefer a real woman?"  
  
Gourry swallowed nervously as he felt Luna mold herself to his back. Everything about her was like Lina, yet somehow more erotic. Their voices shared the same playful quality, but there was something more mature about Luna's. Her touch was almost like electricity—the idea being reinforced by the fact her hands were being quite adventurous at the moment—far heavier and yet at the same time gentler than Lina's less experienced caresses. Then there were the breasts pressed firmly against his back; they made a silent and very compelling offer of pleasure like he'd never experienced. Lina could only dream of breasts like . . .  
  
Then it hit him: every sensation he'd just experienced—every thought—they all came back to Lina. His Lina. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her, hoping that even in the dark she could see it and somehow know how he felt. Luna's cruel little game wasn't going to work.  
  
Thankfully, Lina seemed to get it. He could see her relax just a bit, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly and her fists loosening. She wasn't going to do anything stupid, it seemed.  
  
Unfortunately, Luna noticed that the tension had abated as well. Sounding almost genuinely hurt, she snarled, "That's fine. That's just fine! There's more than one way for us to play!" Her grip turned to iron, her fingers digging painfully into his chest. Thankfully her hand hadn't been down there when he'd upset her. Her other hand seized a handful of his hair and his head was violently yanked back, exposing his throat. The last thing he felt was her soft lips on his neck followed by pinpricks.

* * *

"You came out here to help Marco," Zelgadis whispered as he held Amelia close. There was no question in his tone. He knew that was why she had left her bed. Just as he knew that she'd teased the tiger—Fangs had been his name—as a child. She'd tugged on his tail from behind the safety of the bars until he'd been whipped into a frenzy. He'd later attacked his handler when he'd tried to feed the animal. Nobody was hurt, but Amelia had been so frightened and ashamed that she'd never told anyone what had happened.  
  
Yet, Zelgadis knew. Amelia's past was there for his perusal; he could call any of it up at a moment's notice. Thankfully, the emotions associated with those memories had faded when he returned some of her blood. Now the information was just there—dry as the pages of a history book. He breathed a sigh of relief at that. It was bad enough sharing his mind with a demon. Any more people up there and it'd be terribly crowded.  
  
Grou made a rude comment, eliciting a chuckle from Zelgadis. The demon was still with him then. He'd been worried about how much he was giving Amelia. Strange as it was to admit, it was a relief to know that Grou was still tucked away in the recesses of his mind. That was something that he hadn't wanted to share at all.  
  
"Share what?" Amelia asked, reaching up to stroke Zelgadis's face. She loved his face. It was a kind face, full of compassion when he wasn't thinking about himself.  
  
Zelgadis smiled at her and shook his head. There was that. Not telepathy or anything like that, but they did have some sort of connection now. Inklings of what the other was thinking—little more than flashes, really—and a deep comprehension of one another's feelings marked their bond. It was empathy.  
  
"You wanted to help Marco find Sarah," he repeated thoughtfully. He concentrated, drawing up the necessary memories before continuing. "Sarah's a young lady of eleven? And she's been missing for a day now? At least, that's what Marco thought, right?"  
  
Jillas had all but given up on trying to understand what was going on, but his ears perked up at the bit about a missing girl. That sounded familiar. Amelia and Zelgadis didn't notice at that moment.  
  
Zelgadis shuddered violently as a wave of fear washed over him. "What's wrong?" he asked, noting that Amelia was shaking in his arms. She stared at him as if she'd seen a ghost.  
  
Amelia sensed that she was upsetting Zelgadis and forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down a bit. She didn't want to worry him, but . . . "Mister Zelgadis, how did you . . . um, how much do you . . . ?"  
  
". . . Know?" Zelgadis finished with a sigh. Better to get it out in the open than try to hide it, he supposed. "Everything," he admitted, with a guilty little shrug of his shoulders. It wasn't his fault really, but he still couldn't help feeling responsible.  
  
"Everything?" she whispered nervously. "No, really. Everything?" She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. Not that she was upset or anything; she'd dreamed of sharing her life with Zelgadis someday, but . . . "Everything?!" she repeated again, just to make sure that he understood exactly what she meant.  
  
His face quickly turning a bright shade of pink, Zelgadis nodded.  
  
"Oh my," she whispered. "You know about," she paused for a moment, trying to pull up a particularly obscure memory, "Fangs?" She smiled at him, hoping that he'd answer in the negative. "Do you know about Fangs?" Her answer was another reluctant nod. "Oh my," she mumbled again, repeating it like a mantra. She squirmed out of his grasp and scampered a few feet away. "Um, do you know what I was thinking a few nights ago? The night before we arrived here, I mean?" Almost inaudibly, she added, "When we were sitting around the fire together?"  
  
Zelgadis cocked his head thoughtfully for a moment. Was there a specific memory that she . . . ? Oh . . . Wow . . . Um, okay, this was interesting. He slapped a hand over his eyes in embarrassment, his face going from pink to beet red in an instant. He couldn't bring himself to look at her in that moment. Witnessing the memory was like peeking at her while she was changing; it was something he didn't want to see unless she actually wanted to share it with him. "Can . . . can I ask you a question?" he mumbled, his face still hidden behind his hand.  
  
"What's that?" Amelia cautiously asked in return.  
  
"Are . . . are you really that flexible?" The image he was seeing in that moment was—well—impressive to say the least, but he'd meant the question as a joke. He desperately wanted to lighten the mood and set her at ease. To say that it didn't really have the desired effect would be a colossal understatement.  
  
Her face redder than Zelgadis's by that point, Amelia stammered, "W-Well, I'm an acrobat and you have to be limber—you know, t-to do that stuff—the t- t-tumbling, I mean—and well it was just a silly little thing and I didn't know that you were going to know about it—I mean, how could I?" She could sense unease growing within him and tried to bring herself to look at him and maybe smile and tell him that everything was okay.  
  
She couldn't do it though. Try as she might, she couldn't do it. Everything wasn't okay. Things were far from it, in truth. And although it wasn't really his fault—she knew that much—it didn't make her feel any better about it. Not having anything better to do, she burst into tears. She felt her own pain wash over Zelgadis and come back to her redoubled. An instant later, she heard him begin to quietly sob as well. That didn't do anything to help her disposition.

* * *

Lina wanted to do something to help Gourry, but found herself rooted to the spot trying to sort through the gamut of emotions she had gone through in last few moments. She'd been terrified for him at first, then angry, then relieved, and now she was struggling to cope with the idea that her sister was feeding on the man she loved. No, she corrected herself; Luna was killing him.  
  
Chilled by that thought, Lina surged forward, meaning to bowl them both over—anything to distract Luna from her prey.  
  
She needn't have worried. Luna was all too willing to be distracted from Gourry. With a gleeful laugh, she flicked the clasp on her cloak and whipped that towards Lina.  
  
Lina wasn't going to be fall for that; she'd used a similar trick on Eris in their confrontation a few weeks ago. Sweeping her arm out in front of her, she caught the mantle and flung it to the ground. What she wasn't prepared for was what lay behind it.  
  
Gourry stumbled forward—shoved by Luna while her sister was distracted—somehow managing to look both sleepy and surprised at the same time. He toppled onto Lina, dragging her roughly to the ground.  
  
"Oh, come on now!" Lina loudly protested. "Gourry, get off me! You're heavy!" She put her hands on his shoulders and shoved as hard as she could, grunting with the exertion, but making very little headway. Blood from the wound in his neck trickled over her hand and she wondered just how badly he'd been hurt. There wasn't time to worry about him though. Luna was going to kill them both if she didn't stop her.  
  
In spite of the fact that she knew better, she wasted a second to caress his face with her fingertips. Still warm—still pink, she realized with a sigh of relief. He'd be fine, provided they both survived the next few minutes of course.  
  
"C'mon, help me out here, Gourry," she quietly pleaded as she shoved against him again. Maybe he heard her or maybe it was just the adrenaline working, but somehow she managed to shift him to the side this time.  
  
She scrabbled to her feet just in time to catch Luna's first strike—a crescent kick aimed at her temple. She shoved hard against the extended leg and was rewarded by a vile curse from her sister as she staggered back, totally off balance. Encouraged, Lina moved in, throwing a flurry of strikes to keep Luna on defense.  
  
Luna laughed as she gave ground before her former student. She didn't even bother to block, instead opting to shift ever so slightly to avoid each of Lina's blows. Her movements resembled nothing so much as a cobra dancing to the music of a snake charmer.  
  
Lina swore loudly, wasting valuable oxygen. It wouldn't have been so bad if Luna had been struggling to avoid her, but this was just ridiculous. Every attack she launched connected in some small way; she'd feel cloth flutter against her knuckles or just a hint of cool skin at her fingertips—reminding her that she'd missed her target by fractions of an inch. "Damn you!" she shouted, knowing perfectly well that Sis was letting her get this close, just to tease her.  
  
As if that wasn't bad enough, Luna was getting noticeably faster the longer the fight wore on. She was finally beginning to look like her old self again as well. Thin moist patches of skin had begun to spring up on her face like some sort of bizarre mold. Purple hair was sprouting from her skull, quickly growing to its old length—the way it had been before she died. Her empty eye socket was suddenly full again; an eye had popped into existence with a moist sound.  
  
Luna actually made an effort this time to block one of Lina's blows. Not out of necessity, it seemed—the smile on her face had grown more infuriating if anything—but more from a desire to show her sister that, yes, she could stop every single punch if she wanted to. "Getting tired already, Lina?" she called out teasingly.  
  
"Well . . ." Lina gasped, swinging all the while, "Some of us . . . aren't dead . . . and still need . . . to breathe . . ." She was already slowing down. Days spent with too little food and rest had taken a toll on her. But, there was more to it than that. She was feeling queasy again, just as she had that morning. Of all the times for it to happen . . .  
  
She took a wild swing, abandoning technique in her frustration. Of course, she didn't connect—Luna had seen it coming a mile away—and she overbalanced and staggered a few steps off to the side. It was only when she felt icy water around her ankles that she realized that she'd stepped into the pond.  
  
Before she had a chance to turn, she felt Luna slam into her back—almost folding her double—and drive her face first into the black water.

* * *

Jillas didn't know what was going on. First, Miss Amelia had been dying and then the boss had helped her somehow. After that, they'd been happy for a few minutes, which in turn made him happy as well—after all, it was a lot easier serving two masters who loved one another and wanted to be together—but now that had changed again. Now they were both weeping and refusing to look at one another. It was so terribly confusing!  
  
Fox ears drooping, Jillas started to sniffle himself. Why were they so upset? They'd been so cheerful not five minutes ago! Not knowing what else to do, he lunged forward and flung his arms around Amelia's waist. It wasn't really a statement about which of his master's he preferred; Amelia just happened to be closer to where he was standing. Had he been looking at Zelgadis instead of burying his face in Amelia's chest, he would have been puzzled to see a look of intense gratitude on his master's face. You'd think that he didn't want a hug or something.  
  
"I'm sorry ye couldn't 'elp the boy!" Jillas sniffled. That was obviously what had upset Amelia so. She'd been trying to help that Marco boy, but she'd lost him somehow. That was the last thing that she and Zelgadis had discussed that made sense. "I'll try t' do betta'! We found one kid; we can find anotha'!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Jillas looked up to see Amelia looking at him, her tears momentarily forgotten. His spirits soared; he was helping! He was really helping! "Ye lost th' boy—not your fault of course—but don' ye worry, Sis! I'll find 'im f' ya!" He shrugged and helpfully added, "I mean, 'e don't have no scent, don't leave tracks, and is jus' as fast as quicksilva', but I'll find 'im!"  
  
"No," Amelia said with an impatient shake of her head, "go back a bit, Mister Jillas. You said you found another kid."  
  
"Um . . ." Jillas said, stalling for a moment. "Well, it was a littl' girl. But, ye see, sh' weren't really alive when w' found 'er . . ." He grinned apologetically—as if this particular detail were somehow his fault—displaying a row of needle sharp teeth. "But, sh' been dead fo' a while. Years even. Don' ye worry, though! I'll find th' boy long befo' that!"  
  
When his assurances went unappreciated, Jillas noted that Miss Amelia and the boss were exchanging identical thoughtful looks. Both had an odd glint in their eyes and were chewing their lower lips thoughtfully—one of Amelia's habits. He sighed, just knowing that he'd missed some important detail again.  
  
"A little girl . . ." Amelia mused aloud.  
  
". . . dead for years," Zelgadis finished without missing a beat.

* * *

Two dark shapes erupted from the water in tandem, flinging drops of water that, for an instant, sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight. One gasped for air as she scrabbled inelegantly to her feet in a sad ruin of a dress. The other laughed aloud, having left behind the need for breathing with her mortality. She easily stood in the knee-deep water as if she belonged there; even a tussle in the mud couldn't faze her. "Stop playing around, Lina!" she called out, her voice full of mad mirth, "Either kill me or die, I really don't care which!" She dropped into a defensive stance, eagerly awaiting Lina's inevitable attack.  
  
Lina's mind was willing although her body was a little more reluctant. She glared at Luna—her eyes flickering with righteous anger—and tried to summon up the strength to pursue the attack. She'd been held under the water for a good minute before wriggling free of her sister's grasp; she was more than a bit winded at the moment to say the least. Her breath came in loud ragged gasps.  
  
"Oh god," she moaned, feeling a familiar sensation of illness wash over her. Not now, she silently pleaded—any time but now. Her stomach felt as if it were trying to turn itself inside out, to say nothing of the fact that she couldn't see straight again. Life had taken on an unpleasant blur and vertigo threatened to drag her back down into the pool. She fought with all her might to keep her footing and . . . Her world lurched sickeningly and she staggered. Um, okay . . . you know what? She could fight almost as well from her hands and knees. No biggie.  
  
With that, Lina's knees gave out and dumped her back in the water. Somehow, she managed to catch herself before completely submerging. If she went under, she knew that she wouldn't be coming back up. Her arms trembled dangerously as if she were struggling to carry a heavy load instead of just propping her head up. Just breathe and it will pass, she told herself. There's no time for dying. You still have a job to do.  
  
Determined to finish the fight, Lina exerted a phenomenal effort in crawling on hands and knees over to where her sister stood. She noted with no small amount of irritation that Luna had an amused look on her face. That was fine though. Let her laugh; she'd be dead and cremated soon enough.  
  
"Ugh," she groaned, clapping a hand over her mouth. If it was possible, she was feeling even worse. A moment later, she gave up the fight with her stomach and vomited up a disgusting mash of half digested pecans. Great, there went the only food she'd had in the last twenty-four hours. Just lovely.  
  
This wasn't looking good. Gritting her teeth, Lina reached out and grabbed Luna's leg. She was starting to understand that she probably wasn't going to walk away from this fight. Still, she thought—feebly tugging on her sister in a vain attempt to drag her down—she wasn't going to quit without a struggle. If she could get Luna off her feet, that'd be something right . . .?  
  
Luna watched her sister's pathetic display of defiance with the look of a bored cat playing with a half dead mouse. "Oh, get off," she said with a sigh of annoyance. Lina's hand was kicked away from her cloak with absolutely no effort at all and she took a step back as her fallen sister began to topple over.  
  
That was all she had left to give, Lina realized as she overbalanced and fell face first into black water. She floated there, not even bothering to try to prop herself up again. Her arms were a liability at that point, little more than dead weight holding her down. To make matters even worse, she felt Luna's foot come down on the back of her head and force her further under. As if it was even necessary . . . She couldn't breathe anyway. Just before blacking out, she wondered what would kill her first: her sister or her affliction.  
  
She sucked up a lungful of water and wasn't quite sure of what happened after that. The pressure on her head receded and she had the vague notion that she was flying. That couldn't be right though. She could hear the water dripping off her body and hitting the pool below. Carried then. Luna was carrying her to shore to more conveniently dispatch her. Another few seconds and she'd feel her sister's fangs on her throat.  
  
But it seemed that Luna wasn't quite done toying with her. Lina felt herself come to rest on solid ground—a little ways away from the pond it seemed as she felt grass tickling her nose instead of cool mud on her face. Then the blows started; Luna rained merciless palm strikes down upon her back with horrible regularity. Lina would shudder from the impact, have exactly three seconds to recover, and then be struck again.  
  
She was just coming to the conclusion that Luna meant to beat her to death when a particularly sharp blow caused her to sputter for a moment before coughing up most of the water she'd inhaled. She spent the next few moments retching uselessly—there was nothing left to come up—before groaning pitiably and resuming her breathing. She emphatically wished that she could die. Her lungs ached, her throat felt as if she'd gargled with razors, she still felt as if her insides were trying to consume themselves, and on top of all that, her head throbbed angrily—she had a bitch of a headache, it seemed.  
  
In all that darkness and pain, Lina fancied that she heard Luna ask her what was wrong. The perplexing thing was that her sister actually sounded concerned about her. But, that couldn't be right; this thing wasn't the Luna she remembered. It was a vile and wicked creature and was probably trying to lull her into a false sense of comfort.  
  
Well, she could forget that! Lina smirked inwardly. She was in too much pain to be lulled into anything resembling comfort. Hell, she could barely remember what comfort was. Luna may as well beat her again; at least the blows took her mind off of everything else that was wrong.  
  
Luna surprised her yet again. Her cool hand came down upon Lina as expected—she'd been right about that at least—but it was with the most gentle of touches. The redhead felt the sodden mess that was her hair being brushed to the side before her sister began to stroke her, making long slow figure eights across the length and breadth of her back with her fingertips.  
  
She'd tensed up a bit at Luna's touch in anticipation of more pain, but when she realized what her sister was actually doing, Lina released a reluctant sigh of relief. This was wrong, she told herself. This wasn't what Luna was now, but . . . the feeling was so familiar. Not to mention amazingly soothing.  
  
It took her back to her childhood, bringing with it the phantom aroma of good hot soup—Ceiphied knew if she didn't feel so sick, she'd love a bowl—and her sister's tender ministrations. She'd been ill, almost fatally so, when she'd been ten. She'd been suffering from a particularly bad bout of pneumonia, but she didn't know that. All she knew was weakness, a lack of appetite, and a quiet wish that she'd just go ahead and die.  
  
Those moments were the scariest; no child of ten should ever wish for death. In those darkest moments, the only thing that had brought her comfort was Luna. Her sister had sternly—yet with an amazing amount of patience—coaxed her into eating, even though she was never hungry. The meals were invariably followed by the backrubs that were so amazingly similar to the one she was receiving now. Luna would sit with her for hours on end, sometimes humming some tune under her breath, other times in silence, but always rubbing, occasionally using her nails to alter the sensation.  
  
In some strange way, it'd worked. It hadn't lessened the misery any, but somehow made it feel more distant. Lina had mended then and several times since. To a lesser extent, it was working in that moment as well. Just before she drifted off to sleep—it was far easier than staying awake at that point—she thought that she heard Luna singing softly again. That pleased her to no end and the last of her reservations about her sister fell away with her consciousness.

* * *

Gourry staggered drunkenly towards the trees, a hand clapped to the side of his neck. Blood seeped from between his fingers, but it wasn't the torrent that he'd expected; Luna had just nipped him lightly, it seemed, which was kind of strange. Lina had mentioned that most vampires ripped out the throats of their victims in their zeal.  
  
Still, there was no time to think about that, he thought. Dropping gratefully to his knees—the world didn't sway quite so much from this position—he began to sweep his hands through the leaves again, searching for the Sword of Light. It only took him a moment to find this time; he'd made a mental note of where it'd been before.  
  
Blinking sleepily, he scooped it up on his second try. His clumsy fingers hadn't wanted to close around it at first. Okay, that was done. Now he just needed to save Lina. He climbed to his feet—either he was feeling better or getting used to the world swaying—and turned, expecting to see Lina locked in a life or death struggle with her sister.  
  
His breath caught in his throat when he saw her lying in the grass, motionless. Uttering a strangled little cry of hopelessness, he lurched forward, praying that she wasn't dead. She couldn't be dead, right? She'd been fighting as hard as she could a moment ago. It couldn't all be over already, could it?  
  
Then he saw Luna raise her head—she'd been lying on the far side of Lina, obscured from view—and he knew what had happened: the vile thing had killed her. He raised the Sword of Light over his head, on the verge of uttering the words to activate it, when he saw that he'd been at least partially mistaken.  
  
He'd first assumed that Luna had been looming over Lina in an aggressive manner. Upon second glance, however, she was actually hugging the redhead. Tears sparkled in her violet eyes as she looked up at Gourry questioningly.  
  
"You . . . You're not going to do it, are you?" She sighed sorrowfully at the confusion written on his face and looked back down at her sister. "I knew you wouldn't," she whispered, gently stroking Lina's cheek with her fingertips. "You should. Kill me, I mean. I killed Amelia, or would have anyway. Either way, she's dead. I tried to kill you and Zelgadis." A strangely hopeful sound in her tone, she added, "I just tried to drown Lina."  
  
Gourry shook his head mutely and sheathed the Sword of Light. If he'd seen any malice at all in Luna he would have killed her on the spot, but there was nothing in her demeanor except sadness at the moment. She hadn't done any of the things she threatened. Amelia had still been alive when he'd left her—although he had a hunch that he shouldn't mention that—and it was obvious that she'd pulled Lina from the water.  
  
Kneeling beside the sisters, he momentarily marveled at the similarities in their appearance. They both had the same facial features: slightly roundish faces marked by large expressive eyes and snub noses. The only major difference was their hair; Lina's was long, fiery, and untamable—although the mud and twigs might have had something to do with that last part—compared to Luna's shoulder length, straight, amethyst tresses.  
  
"She's sick," Luna said in answer to his unspoken question. "I could smell it on her when I pulled her from the water. It's horrible, unlike anything I've ever encountered before." She watched, a small smile on her face, as Gourry reached out and brushed a few strands of hair out of Lina's face. "You love her," she whispered. It wasn't a question.  
  
Gourry nodded, never taking his eyes off Lina. She didn't appear to be in too much discomfort, which relieved him to no end.  
  
"Does she love you?"  
  
The question rattled him for a moment. Did she? He knew that he loved her with all his heart, but as for her feelings for him . . .  
  
"Now, that's interesting," Luna muttered thoughtfully. "You don't have an answer for me?" She sat up, running her nails down Lina's back a final time before reaching into a pocket. "I'm not surprised. She's a stubborn girl. I doubt even she knows the answer." Sighing in exasperation, she mumbled, "Now where did I put it . . .? Here we go." She produced a small envelope and offered it to Gourry.  
  
Gourry stared at the small parcel as if Luna had offered him a particularly large and venomous snake. "Huh?"  
  
Apparently annoyed by his lack of action, she muttered something under her breath and thrust the envelope into his hand. "Go on, take it. It's a bit damp, but I expect a little pond water won't ruin it. It's medicine."  
  
Gourry's face lit up. Medicine was good. "Hey, thanks!" He hastily stuffed the envelope into his pocket.  
  
"Mix it with boiling water and make her drink the broth when she wakes up. She'll whine about it I'm sure, but do it anyway. I don't know exactly what's ailing her, but this should do something to help her." Luna stood and brushed the grass from the front of her cloak. "And don't thank me. I'm not doing this for her benefit. When she does wake up, tell her to take care of Marco and then to go home."  
  
She may as well have threatened Gourry with violence. "She doesn't want to go home," he protested with an emphatic shake of his head. "She wants to stay here." He protectively gathered his bedraggled companion into his arms as he spoke.  
  
Luna stared up at the stars for a moment—still as a statue—and Gourry briefly thought that she hadn't heard him. He opened his mouth to reiterate his previous claim when he heard her whispering. "Sirius, Erulogos, and Almayce . . ." She nodded at the sky overhead when noticed him observing her. "The Watchers," she said in way of explanation, pointing to the three brightest stars in the night sky. "Do you think they look dimmer this evening?"  
  
His argument momentarily forgotten, Gourry squinted up at the stars overhead and shrugged. Had he ever looked at the stars before? It seemed that there was always something more interesting happening closer to home. "They look about the same to me, I guess."  
  
"No, they're definitely dimmer," she immediately retorted, pointing at a particular spot in the sky. "Look up there. Val looks as if it's all but extinguished." The star that she was pointing to shone weakly, barely making an impact on the darkness around it. "They're supposed to be eternally vigilant—making sure that we don't stray from the path of light." She sighed. "At least, that's what the holy texts say."  
  
"Holey texts?" Gourry mused aloud. "Did the bookworms get them or something?"  
  
"Bookworms?" Luna repeated thoughtfully. She smacked her forehead and groaned. "I said _holy_ texts, you halfwit!"  
  
"Um, yeah, okay," Gourry mumbled with a confused little shrug. She really was Lina's sister, he thought as he watched her face go crimson with anger. They had the same reaction to a simple question. Speaking of Lina . . . "What does this have to do with Lina?" he asked.  
  
"Everything," she replied, getting herself under control. "Blasphemous as it may be, I'm beginning to fear that the Watchers see nothing. If they did, how could they allow such wickedness to spread through this world? They're blind, Mister Gabriev. They're either blind or apathetic. And I'm not quite sure which possibility troubles me more."  
  
Gourry's utterly perplexed expression must have disheartened her a bit as she fetched a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, but you lost me back with the bookworms," he apologized.  
  
"I don't expect you to understand, but it's something that I think about once in a while. If the Watchers are blind or uncaring, who's going to protect you from the darkness? That's where Lina comes in. She has work to do and despite what you or she might wish, that work will lead her away from this place. She'll go home."  
  
"She doesn't want to go," Gourry growled threateningly. "I won't let her." He understood this much at least; Luna wanted to take his Lina away—to drive her back to the place that had hurt her before. He laid a hand on the Sword of Light while holding the redhead close with the other.  
  
Luna threw her head back and laughed, sounding genuinely amused. "You won't let her? I'd like to see you try to stop her; Lina's about as stubborn as a mule once she makes up her mind." Her expression became deadly serious as she continued. "She will leave. She knows what I am—what I do. Every life I take will be on her head. And I'm always hungry, Mister Gabriev. Yes, I think I'll be seeing her soon." She grinned wickedly, as if remembering some cruel joke. "Besides, in the near future, I believe you'll both find this place far less hospitable than you first thought."  
  
Gourry opened his mouth to ask her any number of questions. What did she mean by that? Why wasn't she dead? Why was she following Lina? How did she know who he was for that matter? Most confusing, what was the deal with the stars? Wondering if there were answers to be found in the heavens, he lifted his gaze skyward for a moment and when he looked back down a moment later, Luna was gone.

* * *

Next Chapter: Homecomings and leave takings  
  
Notes: Well, we have some foreshadowing, a bit of character development, and just a smidge of action as well! Mission accomplished! This chapter went through so many revisions; it's not even funny. Even the beta didn't get to see half the pages that I threw out on this. It all came together pretty well in the end, methinks. Um, not really much to say, so I'll get to the reviews!  
  
Reviewer Response:  
  
Very enigmatic there, Ichiban. Even I don't know what "other things" you're talking about!  
  
To you I say, "Baggy clothes and a cloak," Wesley! As for Zangulus, well . . . wait and see.  
  
Thanks for the compliments, GetitCJC. Did Gourry seem too smart? And I'm keeping Grou kinda vague on purpose. Zel doesn't hear him talk so much as get ideas from him.  
  
Yeah, the woman thing was about where I hoped that most people would start thinking about Luna, Stara. Nope, no bloodthirsty tendencies from Amelia, but she's got other problems now.  
  
Otaku girl, I never said the vampire was Xellos! Amelia did! I'm innocent of all wrongdoing. And yeah, Amelia got a look at the afterlife. And I get plenty of sleep now! In fact, just last night I got 4 ½ hours!  
  
Thank you, Samantha!   
  
Glad you were surprised, Miss Gabriev! And nope, no vampirism for Amelia. It's all explained in, um, 32, I think. Yes, I'm too lazy to check. Horrible huh?  
  
There's going to be more interaction between Grou and Zel now, Ari chan. That should be interesting to write . . .  
  
Hi, Pogo!! Glad to see that you're not dead . . . or something! I know, the scene break thing is horrible, but it wouldn't put those nifty little lines in when I told it to . . . Hope you get back soon.  
  
And what do you think of what I did with 38, hmm, Kaitrin? Thanks for the betaing! 


	39. Coming Home

"Mister Zelgadis, wait for me!" Amelia gasped. If she didn't know better, she'd think that Zelgadis wanted to lose her. She was all but running to keep up with him. They were following Jillas's directions in an attempt to find the girl that he'd come across earlier that day with Gourry.  
  
Zelgadis sighed and reluctantly slowed his pace a bit—enough for the beautiful acrobat to draw even with him. He gazed into her eyes and forced a smile; she'd know that he wasn't happy, but at least she'd see that he was making an effort for her benefit.  
  
Amelia smiled shyly in return. Neither of them was particularly pleased with what had happened, but at least she was trying to be positive about it. She stared at him intently for a moment before her face lit up again. "Okay, I'm thinking of something. . ."  
  
"It's Jillas," he replied coolly as a fuzzy image of the werefox formed in his head. "Can we please drop this? I'm not in the mood for it right now." He didn't like being poked and prodded at the best of times. Now was not one of those times. Amelia's line of questioning served only to remind him that there was something intrinsically different between him and the rest of the world.  
  
"Well . . ." Amelia said, looking repentant, "if you really want to, I guess. I didn't mean to bother . . ."  
  
"Thanks," Zelgadis said, cutting off her in mid apology. They walked on in silence for a moment before he sighed and turned towards her. First he was asking her to leave him alone and now he was about to ask her a question. He couldn't be happy at either extreme, it seemed. He liked talking to her—she was far more reasonable than Lina—but he didn't like talking about himself.  
  
"So," he ventured, clearing his throat, "why are you so keen to find . . ."  
  
"Because, it's the right thing to do," Amelia interjected with a waggle of her finger. "I'd feel terrible if we didn't try to help poor Marco. Especially after all he's been through. First he loses his friend, and then he gets attacked by a vampire. It's just not fair." She sighed sadly and spent the next few moments staring at her feet, lost in thought.  
  
"I'm sure Marco's fine," he said, trying to stem the melancholy feeling he was receiving from Amelia. "Miss Lina too," he added when she looked up at him hopefully, her cerulean eyes glinting. He didn't even notice that he'd used Amelia's term—and a hint of her reverent tone—when speaking of the Slayer. "She's no slouch, you know. She's probably figured everything out already."  
  
"You know, I'll bet you're right!" she cheerfully replied. "Oh, I've got one! It's . . ." She trailed off, remembering that she'd agreed to drop the questions. "Oh, sorry about that!" she said with an embarrassed laugh.  
  
Zelgadis raised an eyebrow. Intriguing. "No, it's all right. Go on," he prodded. He'd gotten a flash—nothing longer than the blink of an eye—before she'd cut the thought short. But, there was something about it that snagged his attention; it was an important memory and he was curious.  
  
"Okay," Amelia replied, shutting her eyes and concentrating. When he didn't immediately respond to her thought, she opened one eye and hopefully asked, "You don't know? I thought that . . ."  
  
Zelgadis shushed her with an impatient wave of his hand. His head was cocked and he was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. At the moment, he was blind—visual capability momentarily overwhelmed by memory—as he scanned the near infinite amount of information in Amelia's subconscious for the image he was seeing. He'd been right in his assumption; whatever this was, it was obviously very important to her, having the feel of a well-read letter from a friend.  
  
Muttering to himself under his breath, Zelgadis ran down the list: circus, circus, tiger, Uncle Christopher, circus, Alfred, chats with Martina, bath time . . . He hesitated a moment and stole a quick glance at Amelia's face. Her expression told him not to even consider it and he grinned apologetically, begrudgingly moved on from what promised to be a soapy good time.  
  
"Your father?" he asked, already knowing that he was right. "But . . ." He examined the image again, taking in the details. Shaking his head in disbelief, he said, "That can't be right. He's got to be fifteen feet tall."  
  
Amelia smiled, but kept her silence. She looked a bit crestfallen.  
  
Zelgadis looked up, seeing only the trees, but at the same time something more. A huge man with wild black hair and a bushy moustache, his face blurry and indistinct, reached down to lift him up. Then the image faded, dissipating like mist in the morning sun.  
  
He shuddered and closed his eyes in an attempt to hold onto the vision. A flash of inspiration told him a few things about the man: he wasn't fifteen feet tall, for one. He was seeing him as Amelia had when she was three years old. To her, he really had been a giant. Secondly, his face was blurred because she had plucked the memory from so long ago. She'd lost him when she was very young. Finally . . .  
  
"He doesn't look anything like you!" Zelgadis exclaimed with a chuckle. Her father's features were indistinct, but still there—wild and rugged. The idea that such a man had fathered a beautiful woman like Amelia boggled the mind. Her mother must have been positively angelic. He briefly considered checking to see, but restrained himself. If she wanted him to know, she'd tell him. He turned to her and smiled. "I mean, it makes sense that you don't have the moustache, but still . . ."  
  
His jest coaxed a polite laugh out of the acrobat, but he didn't sense any real happiness. The impression he received was that she was hoping that he wouldn't know—that maybe there was that small a flaw in his capabilities. Knowing about amorous little daydreams was one thing; having access to her most beloved memories was something quite different.  
  
She wasn't as comfortable around him anymore. He could see it in the way she kept her distance from him—the mistrustful glances she shot him. He knew that she wasn't doing it out of cruelty, but he'd violated her. He hadn't wanted to and he'd tried to make light of it, but it didn't change the fact that it'd happened.  
  
"Do me, boss!" Jillas eagerly exclaimed, momentarily yanking Zelgadis out of his ill mood.  
  
"Do what?" Zelgadis asked, his bewildered expression matching the one that Amelia wore.  
  
"Read m' mind!" the werefox clarified. He screwed his one eye tightly shut and pressed his fingertips to the sides of his furry little skull. "Thinkin', thinkin', thinkin' . . ." he muttered under his breath.  
  
"You're thinking . . ." Zelgadis started to say.  
  
". . . about food," Amelia finished.  
  
Jillas's jaw dropped and he stared at his masters with unbridled awe. "Well, skin me and make me inta a 'at!" he whispered in a shocked tone, "Boss, ye an' Miss Amelia, ye 'ave ISP!"  
  
"Well . . . not really, Mister Jillas," Amelia admitted after a moment. She pointed at a damp spot on the front of his tattered shirt and said, "You've been drooling on yourself for the last hour. It was pretty obvious that you were thinking about food."  
  
The werefox seemed to deflate a bit at that. "Oh. Well, 'ow come ye can see each otha's minds?"  
  
"Oh, that's easy!" Amelia said with a warm smile. "It's because Mister Zelgadis is a monstrous freak!"  
  
Amelia's words hung on the air for a moment. Jillas cringed as if he'd been slapped and stole a terrified look at Zelgadis. For his part, Zelgadis just stared at Amelia, his face betraying no emotion.  
  
Amelia's smile faded when she felt his sudden coolness. Her mouth moved as she quietly repeated her previous words. When she realized what she'd said, her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, Mister Zelgadis! I'm sorry! I didn't say that! I was going to say . . ."  
  
Zelgadis shook his head, indicating that he knew. She hadn't meant to insult him. She'd been thinking silly thoughts of destiny and that ridiculous seer, Martina. His feelings had just slipped out of her mouth. It wasn't her fault, but hearing it from her lips—in her sweet voice—was a thousand times worse than thinking it himself. He nodded towards the east where purple skies were gradually giving way to red. "We'd better hurry. The sun's coming up soon." And before Amelia had a chance to protest, he hurried on, leaving her to share an uncomfortable silence with Jillas.

* * *

"Almost there, Lina," Gourry whispered to the girl in his arms for what had to be the hundredth time. She couldn't hear him—she'd been sleeping soundly for an hour now—but it made him feel better to say it anyway. He'd gotten turned around a few times on their trip home; it'd been a long time since he left and he wasn't really familiar with the forest at night either.  
  
As a boy, he'd been warned away from wandering in the woods after dark. He vaguely recalled stories told by his mother and grandmother—his father had dismissed them as nonsense—about the things in the forest. Ghost stories, really. Of course, he didn't believe them, but they had made him pause, hadn't they?  
  
And he did pause—glancing around suspiciously as if expecting an attack. It was quiet and dark; time seemed to have stopped somewhere between night and the dawn. That was about all he could tell. The branches of the trees seemed to reach towards him, bending under a wind that wasn't there. A chill ran down his spine and he whipped his head around, positive that there was something behind him.  
  
Unfortunately, he turned too fast and lost his hold on Lina. Maybe it was because he was exhausted, having spent the last twenty-four hours running around trying to make sure Lina didn't get herself killed; maybe it was because he was still a little woozy from blood loss. In any case, the small woman slipped through his fingers as if she were greased. "Whoops," he said with a grimace, as she struck the ground headfirst. She folded up like an accordion.  
  
Well that wasn't good, he thought, looking over his shoulder hopefully. He sighed resignedly when he saw that there wasn't anything there. Great. He'd been hoping for a bear, a werewolf— something that would tear his head off. A hangdog expression on his face, he turned back to find himself looking into a pair of fiery eyes. "Hey, you're awake," he said with a weak chuckle.  
  
"Are you," Lina asked in a dangerous purr—she hissed through clenched teeth when she touched the rapidly rising knot on her head, "trying to kill me?!" She seized Gourry by the front of his shirt and shook him until his teeth rattled. Luckily, she tired rather quickly and ceased her attack in favor of leaning against him for support. "Ugh," she groaned, turning an interesting shade of green.  
  
"I guess you feel a little better, huh?" he replied as soon as his world stopped wobbling. He patted the top of her head affectionately and favored her with a warm smile, as if she hadn't just assaulted him.  
  
"A little . . ." Lina growled, frowning at the way he was treating her. "Well, this is nice," she muttered sarcastically. "Are you going to scratch behind my ears next?" She sighed hopelessly as he shifted his hand to do as she asked. "I didn't really mean . . . Gourry!" Her eyes widened in shock; judging from the look on her face, she'd just remembered the events of the evening. "Why aren't we dead?"  
  
Gourry blinked at her confusedly. "Why would we be dead?" She must be sicker than he thought. Unmindful of the fact that she hated it, he put his hand against her forehead to check her temperature. She was a little warm, but he could probably chalk that up to her getting mad.  
  
"Because, she's the best there is," Lina replied shortly as she squirmed away from his touch. "You saw that. You couldn't do anything against her. Of course." She sounded almost proud when mentioning Luna's trouncing of her protector. "You would have died if I hadn't been there to save you." Apparently, the idea of saving Gourry for once was pretty pleasing to her.  
  
"Well . . . yeah," Gourry admitted after a moment of thought. He absentmindedly reached up to scratch the marks on his throat. Recalling his fight with Luna had made him remember that they itched like mad—almost as much as his hands, but that was probably more due to the poison ivy than the bite. Probably.  
  
Lina slapped him on the back of the hand as if he were a misbehaving child. "Don't pick at them," she sternly instructed. "Honestly, you and Amelia! Do you think you're going to heal properly if you keep scratching your wounds? You'll probably get an infection."  
  
Grinning sheepishly, Gourry dropped his hand back to his side. "Sorry."  
  
"Anyway, I remember fighting her . . . I think. And then we . . ." She glanced down at the tattered remains of her dress—still damp. "We were in the water?" A nod from her protector confirmed her hypothesis. "After that . . ." Her brow furrowed cutely as she struggled to recall the rest of the evening's events.  
  
"She saved you, Lina," Gourry interjected.  
  
"What?!" Lina's eyes were as big as saucers. "That can't be right." She shook her head obstinately and said, "No, you're wrong. She wouldn't do that. That's not who she is anymore."  
  
Okay, now Lina really wasn't making any sense. "She's not?" he asked, "Well, who would she be if she's not your sis-"  
  
Lina cut him off with a terse shake of her head. "I don't want to talk about it. Besides," she said suddenly distracted, "what is thath?" Her last word was a bit slurred as she all but drooled on herself. She was sniffing the air and had apparently caught wind of something pleasant.  
  
Gourry caught the scent in that same moment. His stomach suddenly felt as if it were trying to devour itself. How long had it been since he'd had a decent meal? Yesterday? He could have sworn that he'd gone longer without eating, but he couldn't remember ever being this hungry.  
  
The familiar odor of bacon and—could it be? Yes, his sharp nose informed him; it very well could. It was a delightful smell from his childhood: his mother's pancakes.  
  
He laughed happily and seized his startled companion in an impromptu bear hug. Seeing as she was a good deal shorter than he, it pretty much entailed squeezing her head to his chest and cutting off her air. Thankfully, he was far too excited to maintain his hold on her for long and a few moments later, he was dragging her by the hand through the woods.  
  
Dawn had snuck up on them while they were speaking and the woods looked far less sinister now. The rising sun cast a beautiful orange hue over everything, dispelling the last of the shadows. In the distance, birds could be heard singing as well as animals moving about in the brush. It was going to be a positively gorgeous day.  
  
Gourry shaded his eyes briefly as they exited the woods. He'd been unprepared for the glare now that the sun was up and the trees were no longer providing any shade. When his eyes finally grew accustomed to the light, his smile grew even wider, if that was possible.  
  
His home stood before them, but it was entirely different this morning. For one thing, a pair of worn and dusty traveling cloaks lay draped over the porch railing. One was so large that it could have easily been mistaken for a tarp to the untrained eye; that one was his father's. Thin wisps of gray smoke emanated from the chimney, a sure sign that mom was indeed making breakfast. As if he needed any more confirmation that his parents were indeed home, he heard a boisterous—yet very good-natured—laugh erupt from within the house. His dad was probably recounting the story of their buying trip. And Gourry was missing it.  
  
"What in the hell has gotten into you?! Have you lost your mind?!"  
  
Gourry turned to find Lina staring daggers at him. It was just then that he realized that he'd probably dragged her a mile or more at a dead sprint. It couldn't have been pleasant as sick as she was. "I'm sorry, Lina," he said contritely, taking both her hands in his own. He couldn't stop the smile from creeping back onto his face as he gleefully informed her, "They're home!"  
  
Lina smiled in return. She couldn't help it. His dopey grin was infectious. "Who's home?"  
  
"Mom and Dad!" he said with a laugh.  
  
Her response was anything but what he'd expected. "Oh, God," she whispered, her face a mask of horror. She snatched her hands back from his and took a few steps back, until she was pressed against a tree. "Oh, Ceiphied." A profound change came over her in the next moment. She seemed to shrink, cowering before Gourry. It was a far cry from her usual posture: chin held high, shoulders squared, a confident look in her eye. She slowly sank down until she was sitting and clutched her knees to her chest. Her hands shook uncontrollably.  
  
Gourry leapt to the obvious conclusion: she was feeling sick again. He knelt beside her and slipped an arm around her back and the other under her legs, meaning to carry her the rest of the way. He'd probably caused it when he made her run a few minutes ago; he mentally kicked himself for being so stupid. He needn't have bothered as she physically kicked him a moment later—in the side of the head, no less.  
  
"That was pretty good for being sick," he muttered, wisely backing out of striking distance. She gave him a halfhearted smile before hiding her face behind her knees. She wasn't ill then. His face lit up as he came to the obvious conclusion. "What are you afraid of?"  
  
"A-Afraid?" Lina stammered. "It's not like that . . ." She forced a grin and stood up, still shaking like a leaf. Making a show of stretching as if nothing was wrong, she said, "Gourry, let's hit the road. We've hung around here long enough."  
  
"Huh?" He couldn't have heard her right. He thought that he'd just heard her suggest that they leave when he was this close to seeing his mom and dad again after five . . . ten . . . well, however many years he'd been gone. It was pretty confusing. "You want . . . to go?" he asked, sure that he'd misheard her.  
  
She favored him with a heart-melting smile and nodded. "Uh huh." Her hands fluttered about like birds—first wringing together in front of her, then held at her sides, and finally hidden behind her back—betraying her discomfort.  
  
Gourry raised an inquisitive eyebrow. A moment later, a sly grin played across his lips. "I think I know what this is about . . ." he said quietly.  
  
"Y-You do?!" Lina yelped, somehow managing to look guilty and relieved at the same time. She sighed. "Well, if you know, then you know why we have to go, right?"  
  
He snapped his fingers and pointed at the tattered rag she was wearing. "You're worried about the dress!" Putting a comforting arm around her shoulder, he said, "It's not a big deal, Lina. My mom's not an ogre, you know. She'll understand about the running around in the dark, fighting vampires, and almost drowning stuff." He began to lead her towards the door.

* * *

Marco awoke with a gasp and glanced around worriedly. He half expected to see . . . things looming over him. For one panicky moment, they were there—clear as day—but the light streaming through his bedroom window quickly dispelled the illusion; he was alone.  
  
He heaved a great sigh of relief and threw back the covers as the nightmare faded into memory. He had a big day today and there was no time to be dwelling on bad dreams.  
  
A rustle of cloth was followed by his bed shirt coming to rest on the headboard of his bed. Marco wasn't particularly neat at the best of times (much to his mother's chagrin) and when he had something on his mind, everything else tended to go out the window; just as his pants had just done, landing on his mother's beloved tulips.  
  
Hastily tossing on his clothes, Marco darted out of his room, snagged a piece of toast off the kitchen table, said a hasty, "Bye, I love you," to his mom, and made a beeline for the door.  
  
"Marco."  
  
The boy froze in his tracks, one foot out the door. "Yes, mom?" he cautiously ventured, sensing the hint of suspicion in her voice.  
  
"Where are you sneaking off to so early?"  
  
"Just goin' to see Sarah," he replied, silently pleading to the gods that she didn't have a chore for him. He was driven by a sense of urgency to see Sarah—to know that his fears from the previous evening had been unfounded. If mom wanted him to pull weeds or something else, he was sure that his head would explode from the frustration. Mothers could be so unreasonable sometimes.  
  
"Okay then," she replied after an agonizingly long moment, "be back before dinner."  
  
Marco had already darted out the door before she'd even finished saying, "Okay." Being a mischief prone boy, he had an uncanny ability to read his mother and had been sure that she was going to tell him to do something. It'd been a pleasant surprise when she let him go.  
  
Grinning broadly, he jumped over the neighbor's fence and headed off into the woods, thinking all the while that someone had to be looking out for him.

* * *

"Gourry, stop. This isn't about the dress," Lina said with an emphatic shake of her head. He continued to lead her on, giving her a puzzled smile. "Hold up a sec, Jellyfish!" she huffed, slipping out from under his arm. "We need to talk about something." He stopped and turned to face her. Finally. She wished that she could just pound some sense into him, but she had a sick feeling in her stomach that informed her that a good beating wouldn't be the best tactic to use this time.  
  
Impulsively, she lunged forward and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She smiled when she felt him hug her in return. That gave her the strength to go on. "G-Gourry, you know that I care about you, right?" she whispered almost inaudibly.  
  
"Sure, Lina," Gourry replied cheerfully. He tilted her chin up, gave her a quick kiss, and smiled at her. "I love you too."  
  
_Gods, why does he have to smile at me like that_? Lina shook her head in irritation. She couldn't shake the sense that she'd let Gourry down—she should have known sooner—should have been able to warn him about this; she was a Slayer, damn it! This was her job! Protecting the innocent from harm. And Gourry was definitely innocent and she didn't want to see him come to harm.  
  
She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. Feeling guilty wouldn't help at all. Choosing her words carefully, she said, "Well . . . you know that I'd never do anything to hurt you, right? I mean, you deserve some of the beatings—most of them actually—but you know that I'd never really hurt you." She paused, nodded at the house, and said, "And, it's because of that, I don't think we should go in there. We just need to turn around and leave, because . . ."  
  
"Because?" Gourry repeated, giving her a little nod of encouragement.  
  
"Exactly," Lina replied, as if he'd just agreed with her. Taking his arm, she turned, meaning to lead him back into the forest. "If we hurry, I'm sure we can make it to the next village by midday. Hey!"  
  
Gourry had just tried to sweep her up into his arms—had almost gotten her too—but her catlike reflexes saved her. Well . . . that and they were both exhausted, so it was more like him fumbling to grab her and her stumbling to avoid him.  
  
Giving Gourry the most murderous of looks, Lina hissed through clenched teeth, "Don't. You. Dare." She bellowed, "What part of 'I don't want to go in there' don't you understand, Jellyfish?! I'm not going in that house!" Digging in with her heels, she stubbornly fended off another attack from her much larger companion.  
  
"Lina, don't be like this," Gourry said with a sigh, as he moved to pick her up again.  
  
"Be like what?!" she snarled in return. She struggled against him in an attempt to stay on the ground. "Let me go! I told you I'm not going!"  
  
"You're going to embarrass us both!" he admonished. "Ow!" Lina had just landed a rather solid kick to his shin. He staggered backwards, tripped over his own feet, and fell, dragging his angry companion down with him.  
  
"That hurt, Bait for Brains!"  
  
"Sorry, I . . ."  
  
"What are you doing?! I'm not in the mood for . . ."  
  
"Lina, just calm down."  
  
"Hands off!"  
  
"Can't breathe . . ."  
  
"Gourry?" a quiet voice interjected.  
  
Lina and Gourry both froze in mid melee when they heard the voice. She straddled his chest with her hands wrapped around his throat; his were planted on her meager breasts in an attempt to shove her off.  
  
Standing in the doorway of Gourry's home were three people wearing decidedly perplexed expressions on their faces: his grandmother and his parents.

* * *

Amelia almost bumped into Zelgadis when he stopped in front of her. She hadn't been looking where she was going, choosing to stare at her feet rather than his back. After making a few halfhearted attempts at conversation, which he had nipped in the bud, she'd fell into step behind him and set about working herself into a major bout of depression.  
  
She wasn't prone to sadness—always tried to wear a smile, even when she wasn't feeling particularly cheerful. After all, no child wanted to see a frowning circus performer, right? She'd taken joy in the fact that she could bring happiness to so many people with her skills. It was something of a symbiotic relationship; as much as she'd pleased the crowds, she was even more delighted at their reactions.  
  
What she was feeling now was the antithesis of that. She had upset Zelgadis, which in turn had upset her, which again upset him, and so on. She'd never experienced as many emotional highs and lows as she was now and, before she even realized what she was doing, she found herself hating the man in front of her for inflicting this upon her.  
  
Zelgadis didn't say anything, but she was sure that he'd felt it. Hadn't his shoulders slumped ever so slightly? And weren't his wings drooping a bit more than they had been a moment ago? She thought so. "Mister Zelgadis, I . . ." She didn't know what she was going to say next. She did feel sorry for him, but on the other hand, he'd been pretty snippy with her. It wasn't like she was trying to annoy him after all.  
  
She needn't have worried. Zelgadis turned and spoke to Jillas as if she weren't even there. "Jillas? Do you know where you're going?"  
  
That was why they had stopped, Amelia realized. Jillas had apparently gotten a little mixed up, judging by the confused manner in which he was glancing around at their surroundings.  
  
"Um . . ." Jillas scratched behind one of his ears thoughtfully and then fell silent for another few moments. An exasperated sigh of annoyance from his master finally got his attention. "Sorry, boss, 'm not ingnorin' ye. Jes' tryin' t' think . . ." he explained. "Now," he said, pointing at a seemingly random fir tree, "I seem t' rememba' seein' a lot a' trees . . . Somethin' wrong, boss?"  
  
Amelia blushed and stuck her fingers in her ears when she heard Zelgadis's response. It didn't help much, given the fact that she still felt his frustration in her head. That and he was shouting pretty loud. Trying to find the bright side of hearing Jillas get his head bitten off—not literally, although that might have been kinder—she focused on the fact that she'd learned something new just now: one of the more colorful words Zelgadis had just used could apparently be used as both a noun and a verb. Interesting.  
  
"What in the hell is the matter with you?!" Zelgadis ranted, gesticulating wildly. "You're an animal! Where are your survival instincts?! Tracking skills?! How in blazes do you feed yourself in the wild?!"  
  
Jillas looked down at his feet shamefully. His ears drooped a bit and he wrung his hands as he listened to his master's diatribe.  
  
"What now?" Zelgadis said with an irritated sigh.  
  
"Well . . . ye called me 'n animal, boss," Jillas said with a quiet sniffle. "Kinda hurts m' feelin's a bit, ye know?"  
  
"Why? You are an animal."  
  
"Oh, I know, boss. But, ye were sayin' it like it's a bad thing."  
  
"It is a bad thing! You're a wild animal that's totally helpless in the wild!" Zelgadis took a deep breath and said, "Look, do you know where we're going, or not?"  
  
"Um . . . no," Jillas admitted with a sheepish grin.  
  
Zelgadis took a deep breath and was about make an exceptionally scathing remark when Amelia decided that she'd had enough.  
  
Before she knew what she was doing, Amelia had spun Zelgadis around and slapped the taste from his mouth. "Stop picking on him!" she yelled. "He's doing his best!" She'd had just about enough of this. She hated being unhappy and all she was receiving from her companion at the moment was a steady stream of self-pity and anger. She put her hands on her hips and scowled (looking very much like Zelgadis without the wings).  
  
If Zelgadis was surprised by her actions, he hid it well. He scowled right back at her, arms folded across his chest. Somehow, he managed to hold his tongue. That didn't stop his feelings from rolling across their link though.  
  
"I . . . I can't believe you just said that!" Amelia gasped, her mouth hanging open in shock.  
  
"Oh, for the love of . . . I didn't _say_ anything!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in exasperation.  
  
Growling in a Zel-ish manner, Amelia took a step forward until she was nose to nose with him. She poked him in the chest and said, "Hey, who are you calling an annoying little fly?! How would you like it if I called you names? I can think of a few, you . . . you big jerk!"  
  
Zelgadis blinked in surprise, apparently a little taken aback at the ferocity of her assault. "Jerk?" he muttered quizzically. It seemed that Amelia's insult had hit him in a way that physically striking him could not.  
  
Seeing the hurt flicker in his stormy eyes and simultaneously feeling it in herself gave Amelia a flash of inspiration; no one had ever really liked Zelgadis before. He'd had his share of companions, of course. A man of his station couldn't do his work alone. Still, he'd never really had a friend. And now that he was changing, he was feeling even more isolated. He thought he was alone against the world.  
  
She gave him a sad smile. He could be right with the way she was acting. There was a good and loving man tucked away behind all the guilt and anger, she was sure of it. She'd seen him. He'd saved her in Hellmaster's lair, saved poor Jillas from drowning, and had treated her with the utmost kindness at the dance. He'd even maimed himself out of worry for her, she remembered, stealing a glance at his bandaged hand.  
  
He'd done all that and here she was abusing him. Well, that certainly wouldn't help him come out of his self-imposed isolation.  
  
"Mister Zelgadis, I didn't mean to hurt you. But, this isn't easy for me either. And picking on Mister Jillas isn't going to help anything."  
  
Zelgadis stared at her for a long moment before dropping his gaze to the ground. He coughed embarrassedly and muttered, "I know it's rough, Amelia and . . ." he paused for a moment, looking as if it physically pained him to continue, ". . . you're right. It isn't your fault that we're in this situation." He turned his back on her and scanned the trees, as if the some answer regarding their whereabouts could be found there.  
  
Amelia blinked in surprise. That was it? That was supposed to be an apology? She hadn't expected torrents of tears and implorations for her forgiveness, but . . . She shook her head irritably, trying to free herself from the sense of guilt she was receiving from her companion.  
  
This was Mister Zelgadis she was thinking about. The fact that he'd even offered that much of an apology was a step in the right direction. It had to have been hard for him. She smiled, feeling hope well up within her. He was trying! She steeled her resolve to help him and began to brew something in her mind: a present for Zelgadis, to help him feel better about himself and the world in general.  
  
Zelgadis' wings trembled as if he'd suddenly felt a chill. He glanced over his shoulder at Amelia and cautiously asked, "Amelia . . .? What are you doing?" Zelgadis took a step back—shivered again at the warm smile she was suddenly favoring him with.  
  
Amelia didn't answer; she was too busy gathering every bit of sunshine and joy she could into her mind. She bundled that all up in a big, "Life is wonderful!" and silently fired it over to him. As an afterthought, she threw in a few images of puppies and daisies. Every little bit helped, right?  
  
Raw positive emotion—grand and terrifying—slammed into Zelgadis with the force of a cannonball. His eyes bugged out and he uttered a strangled little cry of joyful agony. His hands flew to the sides of his skull. Wings that had been draped about his body a moment before lashed out instinctively, sensing that their master was being attacked.  
  
Jillas and Amelia flung themselves to the ground to avoid the leathery appendages. They exchanged looks of relief; it probably wouldn't have hurt to be struck—the wings were thin skin stretched over hollow bone, after all—but neither of them relished the idea of ending up at the top of a tree somewhere. Zelgadis's wings were far stronger than they looked.  
  
Zelgadis wasn't quite done though. He twirled about, tripped over his feet, fell through a nearby bush, and disappeared. The last that was seen of him was a quick flash of a wingtip amidst a cloud of leaves. Then, he was gone.  
  
Amelia climbed to her feet, looking quite bewildered. That wasn't really the reaction she'd expected, but at least Mister Zelgadis wasn't sulking anymore, right? Although, it was strange that he'd just disappeared like that. The foliage had only been about knee high so he should have still been visible, so how . . .?  
  
Holding one another's hands, she and Jillas cautiously advanced on the mysterious shrub. A moment later, they both sighed in relief. That was one mystery solved.  
  
Amelia found herself looking down a steep embankment. It was comforting to know that Zelgadis hadn't been eaten by carnivorous vegetation, but . . . She winced in sympathy as she heard a particularly loud crash; judging by the noise, he'd somehow managed to hit every single tree, rock, and bush on his way down. And based on the bellowed curses—both verbal and mental—he'd survived the trip too. Well, that was encouraging!  
  
"That's right!" Jillas gleefully exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. "Gourry an' I, we did that when w' found 'er this mornin'. Isn't th' boss a genius?" An eager glint in his eye he darted over to the edge of the grade and called out, "Wait f' me, boss! I'm comin'!" before flinging himself down the hill as well.  
  
Amelia winced again—this time when Jillas landed on his head after his first roll—but he seemed to be all right, excited even. She shrugged and stepped over to the beginning of the slope. "Well, when in Elmekia, do as the Elmekians do," she said with a grin. With that, she leapt after her companions.

* * *

Lina eyed the group of spectators nervously, even as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. To say that it was an awkward situation was an understatement. She giggled hysterically and removed her hands from Gourry's throat. "Hi there!" she said with a timid little wave. Oh Ceiphied, they were still staring. Why were they staring?  
  
"Eep!" she squeaked when she realized where Gourry's hands were resting. She slapped his wrist to get his attention and shot him a positively scathing look, silently indicating that he was to remove his hands from her immediately, or she'd remove them from his wrists. Thankfully, he seemed to get the hint.  
  
The woman, who she could only assume was Gourry's mother judging from the long blond hair and piercing blue eyes, was giving her an inquisitive and slightly cool look. It was the dress, she hastily concluded. The iciness had to be because of the dress. The older woman probably didn't actually dislike her . . . At least, she hoped not.  
  
"This wasn't . . . well, it's not . . . I mean, we aren't . . . well . . . ooh . . ." she explained. She nodded slowly as if she'd just given a very well thought out and satisfactory explanation of why she was straddling Gourry's chest while he groped her . . . in broad daylight. It was perfectly innocent, after all, and if she knew that, then it stood to reason that they knew that as well, right? Even if she had suddenly developed a severe speaking disability while explaining it.  
  
Explanations for her behavior seemed far less important in the face of the, well, thing striding towards her. Before she could catch herself, she blurted out, "Gourry, you didn't tell me that you had a pet bear . . ."  
  
The newly dubbed "bear" loomed over Lina—standing at least six and a half feet tall—studying her face. A moment later, it bared its teeth and she was positive that it was going to lean down and bite her head from her body. Her mind raced; how does one deal with a bear that means to remove one's head? Maybe if it was a vampire bear she could do something, but as it stood, her mind was totally blank.  
  
It was only when the bear began to laugh raucously, that she realized two things: it had actually been smiling at her and "it" was probably human. Neither of those revelations brought her much comfort.  
  
The giant called over his shoulder, "Lily, did you hear that?! A bear! That's the funniest thing I've heard all morning!" Still chuckling he turned his attention back to Lina who honestly looked as if she'd never been more terrified in her life. "Here we go!" he rumbled cheerfully, putting his huge hands around her waist—she could have sworn that his fingertips actually touched behind her back—and effortlessly lifted her from atop Gourry. "Up ya go, little lady! The name's Goren. Pleased ta meet ya."  
  
While she was in the air, Lina found herself eye to eye with him and was relieved that she could detect no malice within them; his eyes sparkled with mirth and kindness—very much like Gourry's. She prided herself on being an excellent judge of character and this man was as goodhearted as they came.  
  
Noting the grin on Lina's face, Goren nodded in encouragement. "That's right," he rumbled, "I ain't gonna eat ya. Wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone a pretty young gal like yourself." He set her down on her feet with infinite gentleness and reached back down to snag one of Gourry's hands. A moment later, the swordsman had been yanked to his feet as if he were weightless.  
  
Lina watched with interest as father and son sized one another up. Seeing them standing next to one another, she realized that Goren wasn't quite as big as he'd first appeared. He was tall, but only slightly taller than his son. Most of his imposing nature came from his broad shoulders, but even they looked less intimidating when compared to Gourry. She found herself liking him far more now that she wasn't terrified of him.  
  
Fetching a deep sigh, Lina shook her head. She didn't want to get attached to these people. More importantly, she didn't want Gourry to have to go through this. But now that they were here, she had to admit that she was curious. What kind of parents could have been responsible for raising a son like Gourry?  
  
Gourry nodded at his father, a wide smile on his face. "Hi, Dad."  
  
"Hi, Gourry."  
  
"So, pancakes, huh?"  
  
"Yes, my boy. _Pancakes_." Goren said this last part with a reverence usually reserved for speaking of one's deity. He slung an arm around Gourry's shoulders, staggering the shorter man and began to lead him towards the house. "You know what your mom's started doing? Crushed walnuts. Can ya believe it? The woman's a genius, I tell ya! Cooks 'em right into the batter! Never tasted better . . ."  
  
Lina stared after them, her mouth agape. Yeah, this guy was definitely Gourry's dad. "I can't believe it. It's like seeing twin jellyfish," she said with a shake of her head. "Hey," she called, "is that it?!"  
  
Gourry and Goren stopped in their tracks and turned back to face the much smaller redhead. "Is what it?"  
  
Shrugging, Lina said, "Well, I don't know. You don't see each other for ten years and the first thing you can think to talk about is food? I was expecting tears of joy, hugs, and all that mushy stuff."  
  
Gourry shot Lina a confused look. "What's wrong? Do you feel sick again?"  
  
"No . . . and where did _that_ come from?"  
  
"Well, you said we should be crying, right?" he said in a serious tone. "I wouldn't cry unless something happened to you."  
  
Lina felt her face go red and she opened and closed her mouth several times, looking like an extremely embarrassed fish.  
  
Thankfully, Goren broke the tension. "Gourry, my boy, she just doesn't know how good your mom's pancakes can be." He clapped his son on the back affectionately and turned back towards the house.  
  
"Goren Albus Gabriev, where are your manners?!" Lily stormed down from the porch and swatted the huge man on the arm, causing him to cower. "You're not even going to invite the poor girl in?"  
  
"I was gonna get around to it, dear," Goren said with an apologetic grin.  
  
"When?" Lily asked, tapping her foot irately.  
  
"Sometime between the first and second stack of pancakes?" Goren ventured, somehow managing to look even more sheepish than before.  
  
"Honestly! I've half a mind not to feed you at all!"  
  
Her attention turned to Gourry and her personality completely reversed. "Hello, dear! I've missed you so much!" Lina was pleased to note a hint of redness in Gourry's face as his mother fussed over him, pinching his cheek, turning a critical eye on his "shaggy appearance", and doing general humiliating motherly things.  
  
"Mom, please," Gourry muttered embarrassedly, shooting Lina a dirty look. She had a hand clapped over her mouth to suppress her giggles.  
  
"Mom, please,' what? I'm your mother. I'm allowed to embarrass you. It's part of the job description. Oh, just look at you! You've sprouted like a weed!" she exclaimed. She embraced him with such enthusiasm that Lina thought that she'd seen a look of discomfort on his face. "You're almost as tall as your father!"  
  
At the mention of Goren, her expression hardened and she glared at her luckless husband. "Are you still standing there? You and Gourry go get cleaned up." A moment later, she was all smiles again, turning her attention back to Lina. "Come along, dear. You look like you've had a rough night. I'm Lily, by the way," she said. Shooting a disapproving look at her husband's retreating back, she added, "And that thoughtless man is Goren. Don't think too harshly of him though. His heart's in the right place." She took Lina's arm and guided her towards the house. "What's your name?"  
  
"Lina," she replied automatically. Her mind was overwhelmed with thoughts at the moment and it was a wonder that she'd even been able to recall her own name. Lily was taking her into the house and she most certainly did not want to go in there. Going in and getting acquainted with these people . . . liking these people . . . well, it just wasn't a good idea, at all. And she knew that she would. Goren, despite the fact that he'd been pretty intimidating at first glance, was a pretty nice guy, if a bit absentminded—just like Gourry. As for Lily, she had a 'no nonsense' sort of demeanor that Lina could really appreciate. She hated this.  
  
But, on the other hand, there was the intoxicating smell of food wafting from the doorway, beckoning her onwards. Her stomach spoke up loudly in approval of this train of thought, and she grinned embarrassedly. Thankfully, if Lily heard, she made a point of not acknowledging it. She grimaced as her stomach knotted up; there'd been no food for so long and she'd lost what she'd eaten yesterday. Idiot, she chided herself, you know there's no point in eating.  
  
She was startled out of her thoughts by Lily's voice.  
  
"Not to upset you or anything, Lina, but wouldn't happen to be my good blue dress, would it . . .?"  
  
Lina just stared at her, looking about as relaxed as a rabbit in a snare.

* * *

Amelia laughed as she caught a particularly good bounce on her roll down the hill. She hadn't done anything like this since she was a little girl. It was a little dizzying, but she wasn't particularly worried; trees were few and far between and she was able to steer herself well enough to avoid any major obstacles during her descent. She was an acrobat after all.  
  
Her grin froze and then turned into a look of concern. "Oh dear," she managed to get out over the course of some pretty decent airtime; there was a drop off coming and a sharp looking one at that. She dug in with her fingers when she hit again, even though she knew it was no use. She was going too fast and the slope was growing steeper by the second. As she'd expected, she came away with a handful of compost and nothing more.  
  
Then she was falling, and it wasn't so much fun anymore. Her arms pinwheeled as she fell and she prepared for what looked to be a rather painful landing. Instinctively, she angled her body in preparation to roll on impact. Maybe she would get lucky and walk away with a sprain.  
  
She needn't have worried. It didn't even hurt when she hit. The ground was surprisingly soft—almost fleshy even—and actually gave beneath her. She didn't even have to roll, instead landing flat on her back with a giggle. "That really was a lot of fun," she said cheerfully. Glancing up at the place she'd fallen from a moment ago, she grimaced. It was a dozen feet up if it was an inch and she really was lucky that she hadn't hurt herself.  
  
It was fortunate that she'd landed on this soft patch of ground . . . that was moving . . . not to mention groaning . . . oh dear.  
  
"Poor Mister Zelgadis," she whimpered, quickly moving to get off the fallen vampire. She got clear just in time.  
  
There was an explosion of leaves as Zelgadis's wings came to life, as if just remembering that they were still functioning. An instant later, he surged to his feet, an insane grin stretched across his face.  
  
The smile looked so strange on his face that Amelia involuntarily cringed. Zelgadis looked nothing like his normal self.  
  
"The daisies!" Zelgadis bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Don't eat the daisies!"  
  
Well, how was Amelia supposed to react to that? She didn't have the slightest idea what he was talking about, or even who he was talking to. His eyes were darting about, seemingly unable to focus on any one point for more than a second. Finally, not having the foggiest idea of what else to do, she smiled weakly and whispered, "I won't . . . I won't eat the daisies."  
  
He clawed at his face, digging deep furrows in his cheeks that immediately healed before they even had a chance to bleed. He cocked his head thoughtfully for a moment before getting a furious look on his face. "Don't you dare! Don't you-now, what did I just say?! I told you not to kick that dog!!" He smiled at Amelia, as if just noticing that she was there. "Sorry, I'll be right with you. He's just upset. You know, about the puppies and flowers and-" The anger returned to his face without warning and he snarled, "Would you shut up?! I am not going to 'kill it'! That's Amelia, damn it! You take that back! She is not the most frightening thing you've ever seen!"  
  
Amelia was utterly dumbfounded. She sat atop a pile of leaves, staring at Zelgadis as he ranted and raved. He'd gone mad. There was no other explanation for it. But how . . .? The solution hit her like a punch in the stomach. It was glaringly obvious: she'd pushed him too hard, too fast. "Oh no!" she wailed, tears spilling down her cheeks, "I broke his brain!"  
  
Zelgadis shook his head furiously and staggered over to the wall of the ravine. He reared back and thrust his head forward. The impact with the clay made a loud splat noise. He drew his head back again and muttered, "Just gotta get straight . . ." before thrusting his head forward again. He repeated this several times before staggering back and falling on his butt. "That's better," he sighed in relief, seemingly in control of himself again.  
  
"Are you alright, Mister Zelgadis?" Amelia asked, hurrying to his side. She knelt beside him and put a comforting arm around his shoulders.  
  
Shuddering in revulsion, Zelgadis quickly shook his head. "Amelia," he said breathlessly, "would you do me a huge favor?"  
  
"Of course," she immediately responded.  
  
Zelgadis nodded and sighed in relief. "Don't you ever try to help me like that again."  
  
"Oh. Sure. Easy does it, right?" Amelia was a bit perplexed. He'd sounded angry when he spoken, but the impression that she received was an almost palpable sense of fear. She tried to lock eyes with him and raised a questioning eyebrow.  
  
Her companion wasn't having any of it though. "The girl," Zelgadis said with an air of impatience, "She's around here somewhere, right?" He pointedly turned his back on Amelia, and went one step further, raising his wings to hide his face from her view.  
  
Amelia tried to hide the hurt that Zelgadis had just caused her. It was frustrating. Even knowing what he was feeling, it wasn't always possible to put a reason with the emotion. She looked around hopelessly, trying to find the source of Zelgadis's fear. As expected, there was nothing. He was afraid of her then. But, why?  
  
"Did you notice this?"  
  
"What's that?" Amelia asked.  
  
Zelgadis was holding some dry leaves. He dropped them and watched as they fell back to earth. "Autumn," he said in way of explanation. He gestured at their surroundings. "It's all dying."  
  
Amelia pondered his words. She didn't understand at first, but when it came to her, it was embarrassingly obvious. "It was summer a few minutes ago!" she exclaimed. A moment later, confusion replaced enthusiasm. "Um, why was it summer?"  
  
"That's the question, isn't it? And it wasn't summer a few minutes ago," Zelgadis corrected, "It was summer about half a mile ago. Lina and I noticed the same thing yesterday morning." He nodded in the direction they'd come from. "Can you hear that?"  
  
Rubbing her bare arms (it'd suddenly become quite chilly), Amelia listened, hearing the cheerful sound of chirping in the distance. "Birds?"  
  
"They should be on their way south by now, don't you think?"  
  
"I guess . . ." Before Amelia had a chance to ponder things further, she was distracted by an excited yip from Jillas.  
  
"Boss! Miss Amelia!" The werefox was so deeply buried in a pile of leaves that all Amelia could see of him was his bushy orange tail swishing about excitedly. "I foun' 'er!"  
  
Amelia and Zelgadis hurried over—well, picked their way through was more like it; there were rocks, stumps and holes concealed beneath the decaying foliage and a misstep could have resulted in a sprained ankle or worse. The forest had teeth.  
  
"She's been dead for a long time," Zelgadis observed. "I wonder why no one ever came looking for her?"  
  
Sniffing sadly, Amelia said, "She probably got lost, the poor dear. Do you think this is Sarah?"  
  
Zelgadis frowned thoughtfully, lost in Amelia's thoughts. "It could be," he said after a moment. "She looks like she is, or was, about the right age that Marco described, right?"  
  
Amelia nodded. "Even if she isn't, we should still take her back," she said. "It'd be wrong to leave her out here. She's someone's little girl, right?" Feeling an intense wave of sadness, she added, "And I know they must have looked for her, Mister Zelgadis. They wouldn't have just left her out here. We should take her back and give her a proper burial. It's the least we can do, right?"  
  
Sighing in annoyance, Zelgadis opened his mouth to venture that nobody had gone looking for her. The girl could have been raped and murdered for all they knew, or even abandoned by her own parents. There were some truly vile individuals in the world. Sense intruded at the last moment; Amelia didn't need to hear that right now.  
  
"Thanks," Amelia quietly said when she felt Zelgadis slip an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him and he stiffened briefly—she half expected him to push her away. In the end, he relaxed a bit and allowed her to close the distance between them.  
  
They stayed that was for a few moments—Amelia trying to stave off the feelings of sadness at the poor child's sad end, Zelgadis awkwardly trying to comfort her—before he finally released her and stepped away.  
  
"Well," Zelgadis muttered, looking around thoughtfully, "if we're going to take her back, we're going to need . . ." He nodded at Jillas and extended his hand. "Give me your cloak, will you?"  
  
Jillas hesitated for a moment, possibly because he wasn't too keen on the idea of carrying a dead girl in his good cloak; well his only one, to be quite honest. A stern look from the boss made him think twice about complaining and he quickly relented.  
  
"Okay, then. Here we go . . ." Zelgadis reached out and brushed some dirt away from Sarah's skull.

* * *

Lina sat in the Gabrievs' bedroom, watching as Lily hustled about the room, sorting through an intimidating stack of blouses and skirts. For the life of her, Lina couldn't imagine what anyone would need with so many outfits. She'd gotten along just fine with one. Sure, it had stunk of sweat and blood—not to mention the fact that it was usually caked with grime—but she hadn't been trying to win a fashion show or anything. Vampires didn't care what she wore; they'd shred it either way, so why bother dressing up?  
  
"Here we go," Lily finally said, producing an outfit from the recesses of the closet. Thankfully, it wasn't blue, which was a little surprising. The entire Gabriev family seemed to favor blue—sky blue for Lily, a blue so dark it bordered on black for Goren, and something in between for Gourry.  
  
Chewing her lip thoughtfully, Lina found herself wondering if Gourry chose his clothes for their colors. She decided that he probably hadn't; he seemed to be more concerned with practicality than aesthetics. That, and he probably didn't know what the word meant anyway.  
  
So, she was pleasantly surprised when Lily laid a simple rose-colored sundress in her lap. "Hey!" she exclaimed happily, picking it up and looking it over. It was short (but not immodestly short, she was pleased to note), which meant that there wouldn't be any excess material that might get snagged in, oh say, a bloody fight to the death with a werewolf. On top of that, it was pleasing to the eye and she found herself nodding in approval. She'd look good in this.  
  
Beaming with satisfaction, she looked up at Lily and said, "Thanks! I really appreciate . . . " The words died on her lips and she gasped in shock. "Oh, Ceiphied . . ."  
  
Lily had a bemused smile on her face; this probably had something to do with the fact that the redhead's jaw was practically in her lap. A patch of red blossomed over her left breast, soaking through the sky blue fabric of her dress. "Is something wrong, Lina?" she asked, just before a large bloody gash split her face from forehead to chin.  
  
Lina was sickened to note that Lily was still smiling, apparently oblivious to the fact that her face had been effectively bisected. Her lips were split down the middle and without any support, the bottom one drooped, exposing bloody gums and small fragments of teeth. What had been meant to be a reassuring look became something grotesque.  
  
She'd never expected this. Well, she'd expected it of course, but not quite like this and certainly not while she and Gourry were here having breakfast. How had this come about . . .?  
  
Amelia, she suddenly realized—or if Amelia was dead, Zelgadis. Either way, she was sure that one of them had figured things out and had done something to upset the delicate illusion that was being maintained here.  
  
"Lina, are you quite alright?" Lily asked again, sounding a bit more concerned this time. Amazingly, her voice wasn't affected at all by her lips being mangled. She knelt down in front of Lina, and put a reassuring hand on her knee. "Lina?" she whispered, giving the younger girl's knee a quick squeeze. "Lina, why won't you say anything?"  
  
It wasn't for a lack of trying; that much was certain. Lina opened her mouth to scream that everything was definitely not all right and that things were actually pretty bad, now that she thought about it. She was face to face with a dead woman. If she'd been so inclined, she could have leaned forward to kiss her. Or not. How in the hell was she supposed to kiss her?! Lily had no functioning lips anymore. For that matter, why in Ceiphied's name was she thinking about kissing her to begin with?!  
  
"I . . . I . . . I . . ." she managed to stammer, before she heard a loud crash followed by a cry of anguish—Gourry from the sound of things—from the kitchen.  
  
Thankfully, Lily turned her attention from Lina. "Honestly, those boys . . . They've probably made a mess of the kitchen," she said with a cluck of the tongue. Turning back to Lina, she added, "I'll be back in a minute. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"  
  
Through phenomenal effort, Lina managed to move her head up, down, and back to center in what must have been the slowest nod in history. _Just go away,_ she silently pleaded_. Go clean up your damn kitchen, scold the guys, hell, smack your husband around, just get the hell away from me_. Somehow, she managed to muster the will to speak. "I-I'm fine," she stammered, actually managing an apologetic smile. "I j-just thought . . . I saw s-something."  
  
What's that?" Lily asked, glancing around the room. A bit of flesh that had been dangling by a thread—part of her chin by the looks of it—came free of her face and dropped onto Lina's bare knee with a quiet 'splat'. It lay there like a . . .  
  
"Slug!" Lina yelped. "I mean, I thought I saw a slug," she reiterated a little more calmly. "I hate slugs—I mean who wouldn't? They're disgusting—slugs, I mean—so slimy and disgusting—but, I already said they were disgusting, right? It's pretty silly of me to repeat myself like that!" She laughed far too forcefully for it to sound genuine and got a strange look for her efforts. She couldn't really be sure what expression Lily had been going for; her face was going limp—the flesh looking almost doughy—as it began to peel back from her skull.  
  
"Well . . . I'll bring you some salt, when I come back, okay?" With that, Lily hastened out of the room, most likely under the impression that Lina was quite mad.  
  
That suited the Slayer just fine. She let out a shaky gasp when she realized that she'd been holding her breath for the last minute. She shook uncontrollably, as if she were in the grip of a particularly nasty fever. Uttering a strangled little cry of disgust, she swept her hand across her leg, flinging the bit of Lily into the corner of the room.  
  
"Not real," she whispered as she stared at the small streak of gore that tracked across her thigh. "This isn't real."  
  
She was arguing a losing case though. In her mind, she knew that what she was seeing was false, but her senses told her another story. She felt the wetness on her knee—on her fingers as well. She saw the blood. She could hear the commotion in the kitchen, telling her that Gourry was going through the same thing.  
  
"Gourry," she gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth in horror. If it was this bad for her, how would it affect her protector?

* * *

Next Chapter: Idyllic life in the village has begun to unravel as secrets hidden for years finally come to light. But, such revelations may be too much for one man to handle . . .  
  
Notes:  
  
Hello, all! This one was for all you Z/A lovers. Well, not quite, but things are certainly changing between them, so who can say what will come of it?  
  
In any case, I hope that the next chapter comes more quickly than this one. I feel terrible going a month between chapters, but I've got a good excuse, honest! And it's . . . Gasp! There's someone standing behind you!  
  
Special thanks go out to everyone who helped me on this chapter. Ichiban, for being a level headed and logical beta reader who called me a 'bum' when I forgot one of her corrections, Kaitrin, for all her comments and for not letting me get away with making Amelia a wimp, and Sami, for giving this a final once over before posting. Thanks, Kiddo!  
  
Reviewer Response:  
  
Ichiban, it still hasn't been wrapped up as quickly as I'd like, but we're getting there.  
  
Good guesses, Samantha. Luna doesn't have multiple personalities, but she did go through extremes, didn't she?  
  
Ari-Chan, you'll see a lot more of Grou in the upcoming chapters . . .  
  
Pregnant, Miss Gabriev? That's an interesting guess, but isn't it a bit early for Lina to be showing signs of being preggers?  
  
Gourry's itchy, but he'll live, Stara.  
  
Thank you, Kaitrin and Gaugaurmthou, for your kind words!  
  
Otaku Girl, yes, we will be seeing Val somewhere down the line.  
  
Hey, don't worry about it, Rigel. I've been called a lot of stuff and 'sweetie' is actually quite kind!  
  
Thanks for reading! 


	40. Diving into the past

"Did you just feel that?" Zelgadis whispered. He felt tense all of a sudden. He crouched down defensively, clutching the child's remains to his chest. Quivering wings extended of their own volition, preparing for a fight or flight response. Things had become askew in some terrible way.

Amelia just shook her head, not in disagreement, but expressing her own confusion at what had just happened. "It was . . ." she ventured, quickly trailing off with a puzzled shake of her head.

However, Zelgadis understood what she wanted to say—their bond was helpful in that aspect at least. He chewed his lower lip thoughtfully; her thoughts had been remarkably accurate.

As soon as he'd touched the young girl's remains, the world had . . . rippled. It wasn't so much an earthquake, although the walls of the rift had vibrated, shaking lumps of clay loose. No, it was more of a sensation that something enormous and immobile had finally shifted after a very long time—the beginnings of an avalanche.

His brow furrowed in worry, Zelgadis glanced down at the bundle of bones he carried. What exactly were they getting themselves into here? She'd obviously been dead for a while—years, to be sure. But still, he had the strange impression that her death was still relevant in some way.

"Marco," Amelia said, snapping Zelgadis out of his trance—he'd been staring into the dead girl's empty eye sockets. "We have to find Marco now," she said once she had his attention.

Zelgadis shook his head. They didn't have anything to go on in their hunt for Marco. Who knew where he was after what happened last night? They didn't have the first idea of where he'd be, or even if he was alive.

"He's alive," Amelia said with an emphatic nod. "I know he is. And he's looking for Sarah." She said no more, but the implication was clear: The girl they'd just found was indeed Sarah.

Curious. Zelgadis didn't necessarily agree with her, but at this point he would have searched for Marco on his own. The girl was important and if she really was Sarah, she was of particular interest to Marco, based on his—Amelia's—memories.

Amelia smiled at him gratefully.

"Not t' burst your bubble or nothin', boss, but before we do that, 'ow are we gonna get outta 'ere?" Jillas was eyeing the steep clay walls with some trepidation, apparently recalling his last attempt at escape.

A smug grin split Zelgadis's face, revealing his fangs. "That's the easy part," he boasted. "Here, hold this." He thrust the bundle into the werefox's hands, took him under an arm, and wrapped the other around Amelia's waist. He crouched and said, "Watch."

A tornado of leaves—then they were airborne.

Jillas yowled in terror and clapped a hand over his eye. He almost forgot about his precious cargo, but clamped it tightly to his chest a moment later. "'Eaven 'elp me," he whined. "Foxes weren't made t' fly!"

Amelia's reaction was entirely different. She laughed excitedly, her eyes sparkling with unbridled enthusiasm. "Oh wow!" she exclaimed. "We're so high up!" She gasped in surprise and reverently whispered, "It's beautiful . . ."

There was no arguing with her assessment. The sun, just rising over the hills in the distance, painted the forest and village below in vivid orange hues. It was quite a sight to see.

Zelgadis winced in pain as the light caressed his alabaster skin. He felt a sick feeling in his stomach when he saw Amelia mimicking his expression. What had he done to her? A haunting image came to him—Amelia skulking in the shadows, shunning the light, and losing everything that made her good and loving.

Luckily—well, in a way—Zelgadis didn't get to ponder those thoughts for very long. A nagging bit of unrest from Amelia drew his attention. "What?" he asked, noticing that her smile wasn't quite so genuine anymore; it was frozen to her face.

"Oh, it's nothing really," Amelia said nervously. "It's just that, um, well . . . don't you think . . . I mean, aren't we a bit too . . . um . . ." she stammered, throwing worried glances downwards.

Feeling a sick lurch in his stomach, Zelgadis followed her gaze with his own. The treetops were a good thirty or forty feet below—the rift they'd leapt out of looked like a hairline crack from that height.

How had this happened? Zelgadis closed his eyes and shook his head. He hadn't jumped this high. It had to be a mistake. He peeked out again. Nope, they were still up in the air. Huh, how about that? He favored Amelia with a stupid grin, inviting her to share in the joke.

The look Amelia gave him indicated in no uncertain terms that she didn't find it funny at all.

Then, they began to fall.

"Do something!" Amelia yelped as they picked up speed.

Zelgadis couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Do something?!" he repeated incredulously, yelling to be heard over Jillas' yowling, "Well, I'm open to suggestions!" He tried to think, but the combination of noise, the wind in his face, and the panicking people he carried were all terribly distracting.

Amelia's jaw dropped. "F-Fly!" she sputtered after a moment. She flapped her arms in pantomime of a bird and repeated, "Fly, Mister Zelgadis!"

"Fly?!" Zelgadis laughed for a moment, before noting that Amelia wasn't laughing with him. "Oh, you were serious?" He shook his head, amazed at the acrobat's outlandish idea. "Amelia, to fly, I'd need . . ." He trailed off, realizing how utterly stupid he must sound. "Well," he said defensively, spreading his wings, "I'm not really used to this yet."

To say that their landing was smooth would be a lie; they still ended up hitting the trees below and, in all honesty, an ostrich could have flown better. But, in his defense, they did all survive with a minimum number of injuries.

Zelgadis somehow got hung up near the top of the tree, mostly due to his wings catching on innumerable branches. The tears in the leathery appendages healed almost instantly.

Amelia managed to catch herself about halfway down and would later walk away from the crash with a slight limp and a skinned elbow. Nothing too serious.

Jillas, sadly, made it all the way to the ground where he came to rest none too gently in a patch of briars. He couldn't have been hurt too badly however; it took a pretty healthy set of lungs to howl at the volume that he was. That, and he was thrashing about far too much to be dead or disabled.

"M' eye! Bless me, 'm blind!" Jillas wailed at the top of his lungs for a moment before falling silent.

"Mister Jillas?" Amelia called out. When he didn't immediately answer, she yelled, "Mister Jillas, why won't you answer me?!"

"Not t' worry, Miss Amelia . . . um, it grew back." Jillas laughed embarrassedly as his head popped out of the brush. The fur under his good eye was matted with gore, giving the illusion that he was weeping blood. But, he seemed to be okay and in better spirits now that he was on the ground again.

Zelgadis quickly turned his attention to Amelia. She was only human and if she'd been injured in the fall, it'd be a far more serious thing. Was she . . .?

Amelia sensed his worry and gave him the thumbs up and a reassuring smile. She was fine then.

There wasn't time for relief though. He was too busy addressing the fourth member of their group. "You did this, didn't you?" Zelgadis quietly hissed to the demon residing in the back of his mind. "I couldn't have jumped that high. Somehow, you did something with my wings . . ."

A cruel—yet quite amused—chuckle echoed through his head in response.

* * *

"Grandma, could you boil some water for me?"

"Of course, Gourry. What for?"

Gourry produced the envelope that Luna had given him earlier—Lina's medicine. "This is for Lina," he explained, tapping the corner of the envelope on the tabletop. "She needs to drink some boiling water and then eat this."

Grandma shook her head in amusement. "Gourry, I think you want to mix this up in boiling water, don't you? Miss Lina would probably protest the idea of drinking a cup of scalding hot water."

Gourry thought about that for a second. "Yeah, you're probably right."

A few moments later, the pleasant odor of mint filled the air. Whatever Luna's remedy was, it had a refreshing scent. Everyone in the room seemed to perk up a little, smiling a bit more and going about their business with more enthusiasm.

A content smile upon his face, Gourry turned his attention back to breakfast. _Sometimes, it's good to be alive_, he thought as he eyed his plate. Lina looked like she was on the mend, his parents had finally gotten home, and most importantly, he was about to undertake the extremely enviable task of demolishing a stack of pancakes so large that it made his belly ache to look at it. Still, he meant to lay that stack low, no matter what.

Everything felt so right. Dad was regaling them with the 'exciting' story of his buying trip. Grandma was bustling about, boiling water for coffee and Lina's remedy, flipping pancakes in Mom's absence, and commenting on Dad's story when she wasn't preoccupied with the first two activities.

Grandma clucked her tongue in disapproval as she poured Dad a cup of coffee. "My word! Three gold pieces for a bolt of Sairaagian silk, you say? Goren, that's highway robbery if I ever heard it. Honestly, how do these people sleep at night?"

Dad grinned good-naturedly; this was a complaint he'd heard plenty of times before. "I keep telling you, Auntie, you're just old fashioned. Living in the past, don't you know!" He elbowed her in the ribs playfully, almost causing her to spill his coffee.

Sighing in resignation, but wearing a smile, Grandma said, "That may be so, but that doesn't mean you should throw money away like that. You know, a fool and his money—"

"—are soon parted," Dad finished. "But three gold pieces for a bolt is a steal. Prices have never been lower! I wager it's because of the competition between Sairaag and Zefielia—big silk market in Zefielia, you know."

Gourry automatically grunted in response; it was all he could manage at the moment as he was trying to force an entire pancake down his throat at once. It was his sixth in ten minutes and he was a bit startled to note that he wasn't feeling the least bit sated yet.

"What about it, m' boy?" Dad clapped Gourry on the back, almost making the younger man choke. He didn't even seem to notice. "Your grandma tells me that you've been living in Sairaag for the last few months. Best thing for a young man your age! The big city! The people, the sights, the shops!" Being born and raised a merchant, his eyes glinted at this last part. "I expect you've worked with silk before, haven't you? There must be a huge demand in the warehouses for strong backs, huh?"

Chewing his food quite slowly (for it was difficult to eat and think at the same time) Gourry mulled over his father's question, wearing a bemused expression on his face. There was something a little off about it . . . if he could only figure out what it was.

He vaguely recalled something about silk and Sairaag. Really stretching his brain, he even managed to remember that silk, in fact, had almost killed Sairaag's economy a few years back. Um, it was something . . . something about . . . about losing a lot of business to Zefielia? Yes, that was it. He'd bet his last pancake on it.

"M' boy," Dad said with a look of mock seriousness on his face, "you're goin' to break somethin' in your head, if you think much harder. What's botherin' you?"

Gourry glanced up at his father and said, "Um, I think that . . ." Whatever reply he had in mind died on his lips. He uttered a strangled cry of anguish and leapt to his feet, his hand flying instinctively to the hilt of the Sword of Light. In doing so, he upset his chair and knocked his plate from the table. It hit the hardwood floor and loudly shattered; he didn't even notice.

His father. There was something horribly wrong with his dad. He was resting his elbows on the table. Before Gourry's eyes, small circular indentions appeared on large man's forearms; it looked as if invisible hands were kneading the flesh. There was a popping sound and blood flew; the indentations had given way to bloody holes. Twisting and pulling, and then, a large chunk of Dad's arm flew across the room.

"Dad!" Gourry yelled, glancing around uselessly in an attempt to find his father's attacker. He felt ill; the pale glint of bone was visible in the ragged wound on his arm.

"Something wrong, m' boy?" Dad asked, apparently oblivious to the fact that he was now bleeding profusely.

In the next instant, the marks appeared again, this time on Dad's neck, face, and chest. It was as if his invisible attacker had found his first effort amusing and had invited friends to join in the fun.

"Gourry, what's wrong?" came Grandma's voice from Gourry's side.

A sickly sweet smell assailed Gourry's nostrils and he fought a brief battle with his stomach to keep his breakfast down. It was a familiar scent—working in the SCG involved more than arresting criminals. He'd rescued a woman from a burning building once. She'd been badly scorched and later died. He never forgot that scent—the smell of burning flesh; and now, here it was again in the most unlikely of places.

Not wanting to, but unable to resist, Gourry slowly turned his head to look at his grandmother. He groaned in despair at what he saw.

Grandma stood next to him as if nothing were wrong, and yet her entire body was ablaze. Except, that wasn't quite right; hair twisted, burned, and disappeared, skin blistered and blackened, milky white eyes shriveled up in their sockets . . . but there was no fire. She was spontaneously combusting without the combustion.

There was the familiar squeak of the bedroom door opening and Mom's irritated voice said, "What's all the commotion out here?"

Gourry staggered back, slamming into the table and knocking two more plates onto the floor. There was a loud yelp as Dad's coffee spilled in his lap.

"M-M-Mom . . ." Gourry stammered. Her face . . . Her face was . . .

Then, mercifully, Lina was there. Lina was shoving Mom aside without so much as an apology. Lina was running towards him.

Relief gave way to dread as Lina closed the distance between them. When would it happen to her? He remembered the events two nights ago. Any minute now, her stomach would unhinge, spilling her intestines. Would he be able to hear the snap as her head was twisted from her shoulders? He flung his arms up to cover his face. He couldn't look at her. This was hell. She was about to fall apart; he could feel it . . .

But, Lina stayed marvelously intact. She wormed her way under his defenses and leapt up to embrace him with such eagerness that the top of her head slammed into his jaw; he tasted copper in his mouth. She'd made him bite his tongue. It didn't matter though. She was saying something—trying to say something, in any case. He couldn't hear her though. Someone was screaming.

A moment later, he realized it was him.

* * *

Marco paused, his pursuit of a rabbit momentarily forgotten. The frightened hare took the opportunity to sprint into a nearby bush; he didn't even notice.

With a confused look on his face, he glanced around at the surrounding trees. There was something out there, something he couldn't quite put his finger on . . .

Without warning, the wind picked up and enveloped him within a whirlwind of leaves. Which was really strange. Why should there be dead leaves in the middle of summer? Maybe a _few_, but there shouldn't have been anything like what he was seeing. And the breeze was so cold, too . . .

As the wind died down, Marco's hand shot to his forehead and he grimaced. The headache had come out of nowhere, so intense that it felt as if his head had split open. He dropped to his knees, groaning in pain. He'd never felt anything like it before and prayed for the agony to end. Heck, even dying would be better than living with the pain.

Done. Marco stood shakily, his eyes glistening with tears. The pain was totally gone, without leaving so much as a hint of discomfort in its wake. The strange thing, he noted as he swiped at his eyes with his sleeve, was that the leaves were gone too.

Most people would have found the phenomenon strange; Marco didn't even question it. Instead, he woodenly turned and marched off in a new direction. He'd planned to meet Sarah at the pond, but something more pressing beckoned to him, drawing him in a totally new direction.

Marco hurried along the path that—although he didn't know it—would lead him to a cave where he would meet his end and awaken something horrible.

He was several hours ahead of schedule.

* * *

"Gourry?! Gourry, look at me!" Lina was terrified. Not so much by the circumstances they were in—although Ceiphied knew that there were many places she'd rather be than a room full of ghosts. No, it was Gourry's reaction that scared her.

His face was impossibly pale and slick with sweat. Blond hair was plastered to his forehead, and his eyes darted about the room, seemingly unable to focus on anything. He looked as if he'd gone quite mad. She'd never seen him scared before and the way he looked now was . . . well, it hurt to see him like this.

"L-L-L . . ."

He stammered for a moment, and Lina thought that he was trying to say her name. Her stomach lurched when she saw his hand tighten around the hilt of the Sword of Light. Gourry was hurting terribly and, being a warrior, he was about to defend himself in the only way he knew how.

"L-L-Light . . ."

"Gourry, don't do it!" Lina seized his sword hand and tried to pry his fingers from around the hilt. It was impossible. His knuckles were white with exertion as he continued to draw with agonizing slowness.

"L-Light come f-f-f . . ."

Not knowing what else to do, she dug in with her meager fingernails. "Let it go!" she hissed, drawing blood with her effort, but not accomplishing much else.

"Light come f-for . . ."

_He's going to do it_, Lina's panicked mind screamed. In addition to the fact that he apparently meant to "kill" everyone in the room, she was also in the extremely unenviable position of being between him and his tormentors; she didn't fancy the idea of being split in half on the drawing cut.

Out of ideas, Lina drew her hand back, muttered a quick, "Sorry, Gourry," and delivered a clumsy uppercut to his chin. Not too hard—Ceiphied knew she hadn't wanted to do it and held back—but hard enough to get his attention. He staggered and, thankfully, loosed his grip on the sword.

Lina felt like crying herself when Gourry finally got his wits enough to look at her. His expression was full of confusion and anguish. The world—everything that he cared about—had crumbled over the span of a few minutes. His family was falling apart in front of him and the woman he loved had just struck him in the face for the second time in two minutes.

"I'm sorry, Gourry, I didn't want to, but I had to do it." She quickly took his hands in her own—better to keep them occupied in case he got any ideas again—and squeezed them reassuringly. Okay, she was still in one piece and it looked as if whatever fight he'd had in him was gone. That was a small victory.

Her heart hammered in her chest, but she managed to lower her voice to what she hoped was a soothing tone. "You with me, Gourry?" she asked, somehow managing a smile for him despite their circumstances. She didn't think that she'd ever felt less like smiling in her life.

Gourry was looking around at his family again, his mouth hanging open. That was bad. She had to get him out of there. He wasn't going to improve as long as they were still leering at him.

"Gourry?" Lina said, displaying an amazing amount of patience. The average victim of the supernatural would have gotten a snarl and a terse, "Get out of here," out of her. "Gourry," she repeated more insistently, "Gourry, don't look at them. Look at me."

Recognition flickered in Gourry's blue eyes much to her relief. She held his gaze as her mind raced, struggling to think of something to get them out of this—something . . . _The bedroom_, she thought triumphantly.

"Gourry, do you want to sit down for a bit? Get away from things?" She nodded at him, willing him to nod in return. It was a good plan—get him away from these people and give her a moment to catch her breath. In all honesty, it was probably the most brilliant idea she'd ever come up with.

It was in that moment, when things seemed as if they might turn out all right . . . well, all right was a stretch, but there was still the possibility of salvaging something. In any case, disaster struck.

Gourry's family decided to interfere.

A charred and withered hand came down on Gourry's forearm and the swordsman shrieked in terror. It was a horrible hopeless sound and Lina winced wanting to cover her ears. She didn't dare though. Somehow, she knew that breaking physical contact with Gourry would make things worse. Gritting her teeth, she held on to his hands tenaciously, praying that Aqua would have enough sense to back off. Gods, couldn't the woman tell that she was upsetting him?

Unfortunately, Aqua apparently took that as an indication that she should start talking. "Gourry? What's the . . ."

With sudden fury, Lina slapped Aqua's hand off Gourry's arm. "What the hell is the matter with you?! Get. Back!" she snarled, reaching for a sword that wasn't currently at her side; it was currently sitting in a pile with the rest of her belongings in the bedroom. Even if she had been armed, she couldn't have done much; Gourry had stepped forward and seized her with such fervor that she was having trouble breathing, much less room to swing a sword.

It was impossible to tell if Aqua was offended or surprised by Lina's actions. Her face was almost entirely gone; a blackened skull with empty eye sockets leered at her. "Miss Lina!" she said, somehow managing to speak without a tongue, "What on earth are you doing? You're obviously upsetting . . ."

"I'm not upsetting anyone!" Lina yelled. "You people," she said, pointing to the assembled ghosts, "back off! Right now!"

Aqua seemed to get the hint: this was her cue to get the hell away from Gourry and leave him to Lina. After what felt like an eternity, she finally took a step back—took a second step and moved out of touching distance. "I . . . I don't understand," she said with a helpless shrug. "What's wrong with . . ."

Lina glared daggers at the burned woman. A vein throbbed in her temple as she fought to keep her cool. What part of "back off and shut up" didn't Aqua understand?! She expected the old woman to be smarter than this. When Gourry starts freaking out in the kitchen and threatening to cut everyone in the room to ribbons, you stay out of the way and let her do her work, damn it!

"Ease up, Gourry. It's okay. Just . . . Just ease up, okay?" Lina quietly pleaded as she struggled to catch her breath. Gourry was desperately clinging to her; she was the only thing keeping him sane in an insane world. She prayed that nobody else would step in and further agitate the poor guy. She couldn't take much more of this.

She was tired: tired of shouting at these people, tired of running around in the dark, tired of the beatings, tired of being hungry, and by the Flare Dragon, she was tired of having to be the strong one! Things had been so much simpler when she'd been alone. She didn't have enough in her to support herself, a man struggling with demons—both mental and real, a hero-worshipping kid whose kindness outweighed her sense of self-preservation, and a stupid swordsman who had made the mistake of falling for her and—damn him—taking her down with him.

Her shoulders slumped despite her best effort to maintain a strong look and she heard Gourry whimper; even in his current state he was aware enough to know that something was wrong with her. She could barely hear him though, or anything else for that matter. Her head was pounding again, the blood roaring in her ears and threatening to drown out everything else.

Whatever malignancy was within her had stirred, as if sensing her moment of weakness. Her knees turned to jelly and she was no longer supporting Gourry; she was leaning on him. _No_, she thought to herself, _you don't have time to be selfish right now, Lina Inverse. Gourry needs you. Drop dead on your own time._

She dug deep, struggling to find the strength to support herself again. Her knees wobbled precariously before straightening. _Thank goodness_. She laid her cheek against Gourry's chest and whispered, "Are you ready to go sit down? Please?" It wasn't even for his benefit anymore. Not totally, at least. She felt like she could sleep for a week.

Shaking her head determinedly—there'd be time for rest later—she looked up at Gourry's face and frowned. He was still glancing around at his family. It'd be far better if he didn't. "Gourry," she whispered in a pleading tone, "_please_ come with me." Moving slowly, so as not to frighten him, she worked an arm free of his grasp and reached up to scratch his chin playfully. "Down here, Jellyfish," she said, forcing a smile that she didn't feel in the least. It helped though. When he looked down at her, she could feel his viselike grip loosen ever so slightly and he looked a bit calmer.

Brushing his hair from his face, she whispered, "Okay? Ready to go?" She took a step back, hinting that he was to follow. In what was the first good thing to happen that day, he consented to be led across the kitchen. She couldn't do a thing for him while these people were looming over them.

It must have been a strange sight—Gourry and Lina locked in a tight embrace, neither of them willing to release the other as they made their way towards the bedroom. They moved slowly, she leading with her back while he followed blindly. She had the chilling notion that he would have followed her off a cliff without a second thought.

"Lina, is there anything I can . . ." Lily started.

"Just leave us alone," Lina interjected tiredly. Her spirit sank. She didn't have it in her to hold another conversation at the moment.

Gourry looked up at the sound of his mother's voice and whimpered. It wasn't hard to see why. The left side of her face was almost gone, the flesh slapping wetly against bone every time she moved. The sky blue dress she'd been wearing was ruined, now almost black with gore; blood pooled on the floor at her feet.

Lina winced in pain as Gourry's fingers dug painfully into the small of her back. She felt his hot breath on the top of her head; he was using her as a shield again.

"Are you sure?" Lily ventured, "I can . . ."

Lina quickly shushed Lily with an insistent wave of her hand. "Look, I don't mean to be a bitch, but . . . just . . . just leave us alone for a few minutes, okay? This isn't a good time right now."

Then, they were done. There was one more frightening moment where Lina almost slipped in Lily's blood, but aside from that, they were free. It couldn't have taken more than two minutes to coax Gourry into following her, but it felt like an eternity.

A moment later, the bedroom door closed behind them, cutting them off from Gourry's family, Lina finally gave out. Her knees buckled and she let herself sink to the floor, taking Gourry down with her. She thought that nothing short of removing his arms would have gotten him off of her in that moment. She'd become his security blanket.

The world swam about Lina and she thought, not for the first time, that this was shaping up to be a positively crappy day. Between starvation, exhaustion, finding out that Luna was still alive and now this . . . well, she was stretched to the breaking point. And she'd get no respite for the foreseeable future. The hard part was just starting.

Gourry. Poor Gourry.

Lina squeezed him as tightly as she could, curling his long blond hair about her fingers. She opened her mouth several times to speak, but always found herself at a loss for words. What could she say to him to even begin to console him? Everything she considered felt incredibly stupid and trite in the face of what he'd just gone through.

Amazingly enough, it was Gourry who broke the silence. "D-D-D . . ."

"That's right, Gourry," Lina whispered. Somehow, hearing him stammer was worse than his silence. It served to drive home just how shaken he was. "They're dead. They've been dead for a very long time."

Gourry swallowed hard and nodded. "D-Dead. But . . . h-how . . . why . . . I don't . . ."

Lina felt a wave of relief wash over her. He understood, at least. That was a good sign. She began to detach herself from him. She wasn't even trying to get away from him really. She just wanted a bit of space to think. That proved to be a big mistake.

"NO!!!" Gourry shrieked, frightening Lina half to death. He tightened his grip on her to the point that she really couldn't breathe.

"Ow . . ." she wheezed. "Gourry . . . can't breathe . . ."

"I-I'm not letting go," he whimpered into her hair. Then, whatever dam had been holding Gourry in check broke. "They're dead. They're all dead. Mom, Dad, Grandma . . . I saw them. A-And I saw you. You were dead . . . they stabbed you . . . You were dead . . . You're all dead!!" He began to weep loudly, shaking her much smaller body with each violent sob. Somehow, he still had enough wind to repeat, "You're all dead," several more times.

Finally, Lina gave in herself, unable to resist the hurt and betrayal in his voice; he thought he was alone, that she'd left him and was no more alive than the people who waited just outside the door. She wanted to tell him that she was still with him—that he wasn't alone—but instead found herself sharing in his grief.

* * *

Amelia winced every time she took a step, having twisted her ankle on the way down from the treetop. She wasn't going to let Mister Zelgadis see that though. She'd gotten hurt because she hadn't practiced her tumbling in so long. It should have been an easy thing—catching herself on a limb—but she'd been sloppy.

Thinking of tumbling segued into thoughts of her family back home and she felt a pang of nostalgia. What was happening back at the circus? She hadn't thought of them in so long; there hadn't been time to, really. Was Uncle Christopher taking care of himself? He had a bad back and had a tendency to overwork himself unless she was there to restrain him. Alfred—her poor cousin who'd been traumatized by Hellmaster—how was he doing? Had Zanafar's vision gotten any better? She was sure that they were worried about her. She'd left to go to the gala with Zelgadis and had never returned. Most of all, she hoped that they were all right. Just because she was in trouble with the church didn't mean that they would be too . . . right?

She felt pressure on her shoulder and turned to see Zelgadis' clawed hand resting there. It was strange. His hands had been normal before, a little pale, but human in all aspects. Now his fingers had elongated and were tipped with wicked looking talons made of some highly reflective dark substance. She wondered at that—the wings, the claws, the fangs, where was it going to end?

Taking a calculated risk, Amelia patted his hand affectionately. He didn't pull away—probably because she hadn't felt any fear or revulsion towards him. Why would she though? Even if he looked a bit different, he was still Mister Zelgadis. Realizing that he could probably hear what she was thinking, she chuckled embarrassedly and smiled at him.

Studying his face for a moment, she finally asked, "Can you?"

Zelgadis raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Can I what?"

"Read my mind."

Scowling thoughtfully for a moment, Zelgadis finally shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"But you knew . . ."

". . .about the things you were thinking?"

"Yeah, that!" Amelia paused for a second, before exclaiming, "Hey, you knew what I was going to say there too!" She grinned at him and playfully elbowed him in the ribs. "Are you _sure_ you can't read my mind, Mister Zelgadis?"

Her efforts elicited a quiet chuckle from Zelgadis. She tried to remember the last time he'd laughed. Had he ever laughed around her? _He should_, she concluded, _it's a lot nicer than a frown._

"It's not quite like that, despite what Jillas seems to think." He shot the foxman—who seemed quite interested in their conversation—a sardonic look. "This is new to me too, but I think . . ."

Amelia nodded in sympathy as she experienced his confusion. There was something dancing around in his head—an idea—more of a feeling, really—considered, dismissed, and considered again. Finally, not wanting him to fret over it anymore, she said what he was considering. "You think it's an emotional thing?"

Zelgadis eyed her for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. And you just did it too, by the way."

"I did?" Amelia muttered quizzically. "I did!" she repeated, utterly shocked by her own ability. She clapped a hand over her mouth in case any more of his thoughts tried to slip out. Just like before, she'd said something that he'd been thinking without even knowing it.

Surprise gave way to a smile as she realized that Zelgadis was still looking at her. "Are you . . .?" she asked, noting the way that his shoulders were shaking. Feigning irritation, she said, "I can't believe you! You're terrible, Mister Zelgadis!"

Zelgadis hastily shook his head to indicate that he wasn't laughing at her, but with her. It was the only response he could manage as he struggled to curb his mirth. He tried to hide it behind his hand, tried to affect a stern demeanor, and finally just went with it. His laughter echoed through the trees, making Amelia all the happier which in turn, made him happier.

After a few minutes of symbiotic laughter, Amelia and Zelgadis finally managed to bring themselves down to a level of normalcy.

"How do we do that?" Amelia asked, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "If it's just feelings, why could you tell that I was thinking about Jillas before? And my father . . .?"

"This is just a theory, but I think it's because of how specific your feelings are," Zelgadis said with a shrug. "You feel a very specific way about Jillas and a different way about your father. It's not so much mind reading as . . . educated guessing. And I just have better guesses because I know your memories. You get it too though, it seems. You just don't really have as much information to go on."

Amelia got the sense that he was relieved at that last bit, as if he'd said a mental "Thank Ceiphied" about her comparative ignorance. It really wasn't fair though. She wanted to know what he was thinking too!

"You know," he interjected. "You just don't know as much."

"Ooh, is that what it is?" Amelia muttered thoughtfully. Mutual feelings . . . She guessed that it made sense. It'd explain some of the things they'd done. Their laughing just now, the anger and resentment they'd felt towards one another before, the kiss . . .

Amelia stole a look at Zelgadis's face, her face flushed with embarrassment. His expression was stony, as if he'd switched off his emotions somehow. Maybe he was just trying to hide his feelings? She didn't really know how to access it, but she concentrated, struggling to sense his emotions. Nothing. He was thinking on too many different subjects at once for her to get any particular sense.

"Well, which way now?" he loudly asked, surprising Amelia out of her thoughts.

Scratching her head in confusion, Amelia muttered without much conviction, "Um, I think he was that way?" pointing towards a path that veered off to the right. They'd agreed without even conferring that Marco would probably be where she found him yesterday, if the pattern held true.

It was only after they were off again that she realized that Zelgadis should have known which way to go. Didn't he say that he had access to her memories? If he'd checked, he could have known where she'd seen Marco. Had he asked her to distract her? Why? What was he trying to keep from her?

Staring at his back, she willed him to turn around and look at her. He stubbornly refused. She sighed in irritation and considered the fact that she was quickly becoming better acquainted with the back of his head than his face. Still, he couldn't hide forever and she made a mental note to ask him about that kiss later. It wasn't really something she wanted to discuss in front of Jillas anyway.

* * *

"They . . . They're gone, aren't they?"

Lina had finally gotten a bit of space between herself and Gourry. They sat next to one another in the corner of the bedroom closest to the door. Neither of them had felt ambitious enough to go any farther into the room.

"Yeah, that's right, Gourry," Lina quietly said. She fetched a deep sigh and added, "They've been gone for a long time, now." By this point, it felt as if someone were striking her skull with a hammer in time with her pulse. The world throbbed sickeningly and she closed her eyes to compose herself.

It didn't really help. Whatever was wrong with her seemed to increase in intensity when she tried to catch her breath. It felt as if someone had stabbed her in the stomach and was slowly twisting the knife. She bit down on her lower lip to stifle a cry of pain. When would it end? This was worse than last night. At least then she had the good sense to pass out.

"How did it happen?"

Lina was all but hyperventilating by that point and spoke in a hiss through clenched teeth. "Well . . . it's . . . complicated and I . . . I don't think . . . you'd understand. Oh . . . Oh Ceiphied . . ." Her hands folded over her belly, she crumpled onto her side. She savored the feeling of the cool floor against her cheek; it was so much nicer to focus on that—on anything really—than what was going on inside of her.

Then she saw it: the bed. The sunlight pouring through the window illuminated it—made it almost seem to glow. She eyed it covetously and thought that she'd never seen anything more comfortable.

"Lina, please tell me."

"Well," Lina grunted as she leaned heavily on the wall, "it happened about five years ago . . . in the summer, if I had to guess." Sweat plastered her hair to her face as she made her way back up to a sitting position. Her stomach protested the move with a new stab of pain; she sent it a mental command to shut the hell up.

_God, why don't these people have a table, a chair, or something?_ She'd never seen such sparse furnishings. The bed—the _glorious_ bed, she corrected herself—a nightstand, and a dresser. Nothing at all within reach to prop herself up on.

Gourry had said something.

"W-What was that?" she asked, dragging herself to her feet, inch by agonizing inch, with her fingernails. She wasted a bit of energy to glance at Gourry. If she needed any proof that he was still out of it, here it was; he was still sitting cross-legged with his back to the door, staring down at his hands. He didn't even notice that she was suffering.

"Well," Gourry said, not looking up, "how did it happen?"

Lina looked at the bed, calculating the distance between her and the mattress. Her goal was to get at least half her body up there. After all, her legs didn't really need to be comfortable, right? Just her head and her torso if she could manage. Her poor aching body. _About eight feet_, she realized glumly. _There's no way I can make that. _Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

"Do you remember what happened the other night?" she asked, bracing herself against the wall. If she shoved hard enough, she _might_ make it. "The night those things attacked the village?"

"When you died?"

Gourry's words sent a chill down her spine. "Gourry, we didn't die. We're _not_ dead." Under her breath she added, "Although, that's not looking half bad at the moment."

"You promise?"

Lina chuckled mirthlessly. "Yeah, I promise."

"Are they going to come back?"

Gourry's question went unanswered as Lina was currently making an attempt at the bed. Pushing off from the wall, she made a bizarre half-jump, half-stagger across the room. Her legs didn't seem to want to obey her wishes and she tripped over her feet halfway. Just to put the final touch on her failure, she managed to strike her head on the bed frame before hitting the floor.

Her hand flew to her mouth and she bit down on her thumb to stifle her agonized scream. If she screamed, they'd come and, even though they wouldn't mean to, they'd hurt Gourry again. She maintained her silence, but that was little comfort as she flopped around on the floor like a fish out of water. Her fingers clutched at her injured skull, her nails leaving red marks on her forehead as she attempted to dig the pain out. If she'd thought that her head ached before, it was positively shrieking at her now, matching the torment she was feeling in her stomach.

Finally, her wild bucking slowed—not out of relief, but just because she couldn't keep it up anymore. She curled up in a fetal position and cried silently, her trembling shoulders the only indication that she was distressed. She didn't want to hurt anymore!

Footsteps. And then Lina was gently lifted from the floor and a moment later felt herself sinking into the softness of the bed. She rolled onto her side and curled up into as tight a ball as she could. The warm fabric against her face was a wonderful sensation and she almost drifted off right there, miserable or no. Exhaustion was a remarkable sleep aid.

She shifted a bit as Gourry lay down behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Are they going to come back?" he asked again. There was something hard in his voice and Lina got the sense that he wouldn't really mind if the restless dead returned. In fact, he'd probably relish the chance to kill them again.

"I don't think so . . ." she replied with a shake of her head. "Something's changed now. Otherwise, we wouldn't be seeing . . ." Blackness surrounded her for an instant. "W-What was I saying?" she asked sleepily.

"The dead things," he gently prodded. "You fell asleep, Lina."

"Right," she mumbled. "Um, what? Oh yeah . . . I don't think they're coming back because something's . . . changed or . . . something. Otherwise, your family wouldn't look like . . . I'm sorry you saw that, by the way . . . but . . . where was I? Oh yeah." She laced her fingers together and tugged them apart, saying, "Everything's coming apart at the seams, you know. It was . . . was working fine . . . it's kinda like a reflection in water. It looks real until . . . um . . . hold on a sec." She yawned loudly and seized his arm and draped it over her. "Sorry, it's just that . . . oh yeah . . . it's real until you touch it . . . and see the . . . truth . . ." she trailed off, unable to even think straight anymore.

She wanted to stay up with him, to comfort him if she could, but as she gazed out from under half lidded eyes, all she could think was that it wouldn't hurt for him to cope with it himself for awhile. It was a crass and selfish idea, but at the moment, it made a lot of sense. Was it really so wrong of her to think of herself a bit? She'd suffered too. In any case, she wasn't going to beat herself up over it at the moment. She didn't have the strength to.

"They're not . . . coming back . . . Gourry . . ." Forcing out those last reassuring words with the final remnants of her strength, Lina eagerly plunged into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

Marco moved unerringly towards his goal; he could smell the mold, hear hollow dripping, taste water that was bitter and cold as ice, feel the cool air on his skin, and—most of all—could see the darkness. It was like a shroud had been pulled over his normal vision. If he hadn't known better, he would have said that it was late afternoon instead of morning; it was that dark.

He plunged carelessly through a patch of briars. Barbs greedily hooked his clothes and snagged his skin, leaving innumerable scratches. He was dimly aware of thorns plunging deep into his palms as he impatiently pulled them out of the way. That wasn't really important though. What mattered was finding out what the heck was going on. He was being an idiot, but he'd feel a lot better once he knew that the cave he was imagining wasn't . . .

_Real_. There it was, just as he'd visualized. A small opening, no larger than a rabbit hole at first glance. No way would he fit down there, unless . . . He wore a look of disbelief on his face as he dropped to all fours. Yes, this was it. He yanked weeds from the mouth of the hole, revealing that it was much larger than first glance. He shook his head irritably, trying to shake the nagging feeling that he'd done this many times before. His eyes widened and he mumbled, "Holy _cow_," under his breath.

There was the sickening sense that he'd been led here; people didn't just imagine places and then find them, after all. There was something here—some secretthat was both terrifying and tantalizing all at once. He could turn back now and for a moment, he seriously considered it. Instead, he found himself redoubling his efforts; fear of losing his nerve drove him to work faster and he scrabbled at a pile of small stones, widening his point of entry.

Finally, he thrust himself forward, plunging into the cool darkness without a second thought. Hand over hand, he dragged himself downwards at a dangerous speed. He couldn't see and there was no telling what lay before him. If he'd been a little less rattled, he would have taken it more slowly, feeling things out.

Except, there was no reason to slow down. Somehow, he knew that there was a drop-off just ahead, maybe another two feet at the most . . . If he slowed, he'd turn back and he didn't want to turn back. He _couldn't_ turn back now.

He felt only relief as he plunged over the edge, knowing that this was right—that he was going to see it through to the end. There was no turning back now. The somewhat graceless landing dampened his spirits a bit though. The wind was driven out of him and icy water soaked him to the bone.

"Jeez!" he yelped leaping to his feet and hugging himself tightly. Rubbing his arms to coax a bit of warmth back into the flesh, he thought, _so, what now?_ He looked up at the faint light high overhead. Great. Even if he wanted to get out—and he had to admit that he _was_ starting to feel pretty stupid for coming down here—that didn't really seem to be a viable option.

He fetched a deep sigh; what would Sarah say if she knew what he'd gotten himself into? "Marco, you big stupid head," he whispered—both in answer to the question and agreement with the sentiment—as he carefully maneuvered over to the wall, stepping over slippery rocks and hidden crevasses. Nope, he realized when he touched the wall; there was no getting out that way. The stone was slick and didn't seem to have any handholds anyway. Grimacing in distaste, Marco quickly wiped his hand off on his pants leg. Mud, moss—whatever it was, it clung to his skin avariciously and the sensation was . . . yucky.

_Well, this is just great_. Why in the heck had he come down here anyway? The odds of anyone stumbling onto him were slim at best.

Something hissed in the dark and he whirled around. "Sarah?" he called without much hope. The idea of Sarah had led him down here, but he knew that whatever was out there wasn't her. He squinted, straining to see farther than the dim light would allow. A shadow stirred among other shadows; something was moving towards him.

Suddenly he was seized by fear. He remembered this—remembered the hot pain in his belly and the sick sense of loss as his innards had tumbled out. These things had killed him before. Marco turned and ran back towards the wall. Miraculously, he managed to do so without injuring himself. His fingers scrabbled against the stone, hopelessly seeking some purchase where there was none.

He heard splashing and more hissing behind him now; whatever he'd awoken was moving towards him. He didn't dare turn to look. Instead he fought even, tearing a fingernail on a crack in the wall; he didn't even notice.

Then, miraculously, a woman's voice drifted down from the opening high above. "Marco?"

Marco felt his heart leap into his throat. "I'm here!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "I'm down here!" He waved his arms frantically as if that would be of some assistance in the dark. "Hurry! There's something coming!"

There were words from the surface, loud and indistinct and Marco had the sense that whoever was up there was arguing about something. About the best way to get him out, he hoped.

"Don't worry, Marco, I'm coming!" Whoever was with the girl didn't agree with her plan apparently; Marco could hear more frantic voices from up above. Why were they talking when he needed to be rescued?

Then it hit him: she probably didn't know what she was getting into. Marco started to shout that what the girl was about to do was a very bad idea, but it was too late. A figure blocked out the light above for a moment, just as he had done, and then she plunged into the darkness with a yelp of surprise.

Without thinking, Marco leapt forward to catch her. He didn't know why; maybe he was doing it to make up for failing to help Sarah. Maybe he was just stupid. The girl was more mature than Sarah—that much was for certain. He'd be lucky not to break something when she landed on him.

_More mature is right_, he realized as she fell into his arms. Her breasts momentarily smothered him and he couldn't shake the suspicion that he'd _done this before_—he just couldn't remember when. The sense of déjà vu was overpowering, but contrary to remembering how he'd fallen into this darkness, what he was feeling now was decidedly pleasant. _Amelia_, he excitedly thought, _her name is Ame-_.

Then pleasure and knowledge was driven violently from his skull; Amelia had driven him to the floor and he'd painfully cracked the back of his head against a submerged rock and gotten soaked again. Such things were the rewards for chivalry, it seemed.

"That wasn't so bad," Amelia remarked to nobody in particular. She quickly hopped off her juvenile savior and looked around curiously.

"Speak for yourself," Marco groaned as he sat up. He gingerly touched the back of his head and hissed in pain; he'd have quite a knot there tomorrow morning. Assuming he'd get to see tomorrow morning, of course. Remembering his pursuers, he whipped his head around, ignoring the new spike of pain.

Gone. Whatever had been stalking him from the shadows was gone. Or at least, he hoped so.

"Amelia?!" a rough voice called from above, "Amelia, are you all right?!" There was a great deal of concern in the tone and Marco instinctively knew that this was the boyfriend who might not be a boyfriend who might want to . . . eat her? He shook his head dubiously. Maybe he was going nuts. It was the only way to explain this.

Amelia cupped her hands around her mouth and bellowed at the top of her lungs, "I'm fine, Mister Zelgadis! I found Marco too!"

"He . . . He's not that far away." Marco winced and clapped his hands over his ears. Her echoes weren't doing much for his headache. "You don't have to yell _quite_ so loud you know."

"Oh. Right," Amelia sheepishly replied.

She turned to face Marco, and that clinched it: despite the gloom he recognized her. He remembered the dark hair, the figure, and the brightly colored clothes—those of a circus performer.

"Are you okay?" she asked sweetly. "I was worried about you. I thought you might be in trouble after what happened last night with that vampire."

"V-Vampire," Marco repeated shakily. He knew that what she said was true. He'd been out in the dark, searching for Sarah last night and they'd come across the woman in white—Luna, she'd called herself. She'd . . . bitten him? He'd gotten away from her . . . because she was fighting her sister?—yes, he remembered her mentioning that the other woman was her sister—then, he was lying in the forest and . . . and he'd been shaking . . . it was so cold . . . it'd been a warm night, but he'd been freezing. And then, he'd . . . died?

He shook his head in vehement denial. That didn't make any _sense_! He wasn't dead! Sarah hadn't even been missing last night! He remembered saying goodnight, the promise to meet today (or was it yesterday?), and watching her go home.

_No, that's not right either! _He slammed his fist against a nearby wall out of frustration. He hadn't even survived to see last night! He'd come down here, been hurt—twisted his ankle, he remembered—and then . . . yes! A look of mingled horror and triumph on his face, he hastily moved past Amelia to the base of the wall. _This_ was the most familiar memory—the one that felt the most right, and he knew . . .

Struggling to suppress a shudder, he extended his hands into the darkness. For just an instant, he entertained the hope that he'd been wrong. There was nothing here—he was going to touch the wall in a few seconds—he wasn't . . .

His fingertips brushed against smooth hardness and he bit back a scream. He'd found what he was looking for: a roundish shape that might have been just another rock, but he knew better. He traced the form with his fingertips: the round dome, the angular sides, and the twin circular holes in the front.

Behind him, he heard Amelia gasp and whisper, "Ceiphied save us." She'd just seen, then. But, how had she seen what he couldn't?

Choking back a sob, Marco dragged his hands downward, following the contours until they came to a point—continued on. There was nothing for an instant and then his hands came to rest on damp fabric. He gripped it compulsively—felt it rip under his fingers. His breath was coming in short gasps, but he forced himself to calm down—loosen his grip. He didn't want to tear it.

He moved down a bit more until he found what he was looking for: a small bulge in the fabric. A pocket. _His_ pocket. He slipped his hand in, fished around, and withdrew a bit of string bearing a button, a tiny woodcarving of a swan (he could feel the point of one wing poke his palm), and a smooth stone with an "s" carved into it. He'd spent an hour carefully etching that letter into the stone. His mother thought that there'd been something wrong with him as quiet as he'd been.

As if he needed proof, here was the bracelet he'd made for Sarah. He'd meant to give it to her today or yesterday, or whenever it was. Automatically, he reached into his own shirt pocket—drew out the same bracelet. It was all true then. But, if he was dead, how did he know Amelia?

His voice thick with grief, he asked, "Your name _is_ Amelia, right?"

"You remembered," she said in a kind voice. She knelt next to him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"What are you? Are . . . Are you an angel?"

"An angel?" Amelia repeated in surprise.

Marco nodded. "I remember that you're very kind. And I've met you several times. You always tried to help me find Sarah, didn't you? You didn't even know me, but you helped anyway. No normal stranger would have done that for me, so you must be from Heaven."

Amelia smiled. "You're a good person, Marco. I wanted to help you, because it was the right thing to do."

Marco eyed her thoughtfully. She seemed to sparkle in the darkness, but he couldn't be sure if that was because she _was_ divine or because he was crying. "Did I touch your chest?" he asked, recalling the familiarity of her curves.

"Excuse me?!"

"What'd he just say?!" the rough voice echoed.

"Nothing, Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia yelped. "Oh dear, I hope he doesn't look that one up . . ." she whispered to herself.

"Look that one up?" Marco repeated numbly.

"It's a long story."

Marco nodded as if he understood. There was only one question left then. Weighing the twin bracelets in his hands, he asked, "Amelia, did . . . did we find her?"

Amelia paused for a moment, not really knowing how to answer. Finally, she willed herself to nod.

"Yes . . . Yes, we did."

* * *

Next Chapter: Marco's vision ends and the world comes crashing down around Lina and her friends.

Notes: I promise that I mean to update this story more than once a month! I've been working on it nonstop almost immediately after posting 39. At one point, this chapter was a daunting 40 pages. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and I didn't post the mess as it stood. Which brings me to the good news: the second half of 40 has actually become 41, which means that with any luck, we'll be having two weeks of back to back chapters. Remember when I used to do that?

Speaking of the past, I was shocked to see that Eternal Twilight has resided on for an entire year now. Happy birthday, ET! I don't _remember_ planning out a story that was 300 pages long and counting, but it must have been rolling around somewhere up in my head.

Thanks go out to Ichiban Victory and Kaitrin for reading this mess more times than I can count and to Sami for being a bottomless well of enthusiasm with a talent for inspiring me when I feel that I'd rather shoot myself than write.

Reviewer Response:

Ichiban, I'd have let you read this chapter again one last time before I posted, but I've got a splitting headache and don't fancy the idea of hanging around all night. But, I'm sure you'll let me know if there are any lingering mistakes.

Shadowsonic, thanks for the wonderful praise! We'll find out why Luna's the way she is a little further down the road and I'd totally forgotten about the bandit calling Amelia an acrobat! Any girl that is obsessively drawn to making a spectacle of herself at the highest altitude possible qualifies as an acrobat in my book!

Patience, Kaitrin! We're getting into the A/Zness a bit more now. It's just a matter of timing, you know.

Otaku girl, I'm not gonna bite your head off if you send me an e-mail, you know. I do consider myself to be kinda sorta a nice guy. Very interesting story, by the way! Aside from the fact that you were sick, I enjoyed it immensely.

Yeah, I remember you, Muffles! You make very cool AMVs! Copy Rezo, you say? Can't have a copy while the original's still alive and kicking, right?

Thank you, Miss Gabriev! To answer your queries: yes, I probably do read more Stephen King than is healthy, The Stand is probably my favorite novel of his along with IT, and, yep, I saw The Village and had the whole thing figured out in the first hour.

Samantha and Brenda, Gourry's had it rough, but things are going to get even worse before they get better. And of course I torture the cast! It wouldn't make for a very interesting story if they sat around drinking tea and discussing the weather, would it?

Until (hopefully) next week! Thanks for reading!


	41. The Storm Ends

Zelgadis paced back and forth like a caged animal. Amelia was trapped in the darkness with Marco. She'd scampered down the hole without warning and he hadn't been able to catch her before she'd gotten out of reach. Damn her impulsiveness! She could've been hurt.

There was no telling how far the tunnel ran and they still had no idea of what was down there. His senses were more highly tuned than most and he could smell the water even from up here. There was something nasty about it, something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Jillas had sensed it too; he wore an offended look on his face and his tail swished back and forth angrily.

Then there were the weird emotions he was getting from Amelia-concern when they'd discovered that Marco was down there, fear when she'd fallen, a bit of embarrassment a few moments ago—his blood boiled at the notion that Marco may have touched her—and now a general feeling of sadness.

The big question now: how was he going to get them out of there? If not for these accursed wings on his back, he'd have followed her down in a heartbeat. Ignoring a rather snarky response from Grou, he turned to Jillas, meaning to send him off to find a sturdy length of vine to pull up Amelia and Marco. He paused when he saw the frightened expression on the foxman's face.

Following his gaze, Zelgadis looked up at the sky and felt his stomach lurch; pouring over the distant mountaintops were ominous clouds, black as midnight. They roiled and churned as they approached, moving with unnatural speed. The first ominous rumblings of thunder reached his ears and he felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. Grou had just whispered a warning to him; something was stirring in the dark—some thoughtless malice.

"Mister Zelgadis, what's wrong?" Amelia called. She'd sensed his sudden panic.

Zelgadis was yelling for her to get out even before he dropped to hands and knees. He shoved himself into the opening as far as he could, his wings screaming in protest as he jammed them mercilessly against the rocks, but even as he extended his hand, he knew it was useless. She was too far down for him to reach on his own.

He pulled his head back, narrowly avoiding a nasty bump as he did so. "Jillas!" he yelled. The first fat raindrops began to fall from above as the world started to go dark. "Jillas, I need you to . . ." he trailed off. Needed him to what? There was no way he could find anything in time to save Amelia.

Jillas noted his boss's distress and practically hopped from foot to foot out of frustration. "Boss!" he yipped, "Do somethin', Boss!" His tail swooshed back and forth even more frantically than it had before.

"I'm trying to think!" Zelgadis snarled in reply, "If you don't have any ideas, just shut up and let me concentrate!" He growled in annoyance as the werefox's tail swished in his face. "Would you keep that thing under control?!"

A plan began to form in Zelgadis's head and he grinned. "Jillas, I've got an idea . . ." he said, beckoning the fox forward with a crooked finger.

* * *

Amelia squinted at the darkness, not seeing anything that would arouse such a level of panic in Zelgadis. She willed her heart to slow down a bit and tried to send to him the sense that she was all right. It wouldn't accomplish anything if they both panicked.

"I failed her, didn't I?"

Amelia frowned as she looked down at Marco. He was sprawled out in the water next to himself, looking almost as dead to the world as his corpse. She suppressed a shudder as she knelt next to him. No child should be so full of despair. Not knowing what else to do, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "You did your best. It's all you could do."

Marco scoffed at that. "I promised that I'd take care of her if anything happened—that if she ever got in trouble 'I'd come and save her'." His shoulders slumped a bit and he muttered, "It was stupid."

"I don't think it sounds stupid. And I'm sure she doesn't either."

Marco shook his head. "You didn't let her down, did you?" He fetched a sigh and muttered, "You don't know what it's like."

Amelia chewed her lip thoughtfully. Wasn't she trying to do the same thing for Mister Zelgadis? How would she feel if she'd lost him after all the effort she was making to help him?

"Anyway, your boyfriend's right. You should probably go," Marco said, nodding at the vast emptiness of the cave. "I think they're waking up now."

Behind Amelia, something hissed and shifted in the darkness. Stealing a quick glance over her shoulder, Amelia frowned. They looked human from a distance; she knew that they were anything but.

They were stirring now, shaking off years of dust and cobwebs for the second time in a thousand years. The dead had repaid the last intrusion on their slumber with murder, slaughtering everything that lived for miles around.

Amelia scowled at the wicked things, feeling angry instead of frightened. How dare they do such evil things to all these poor people? She turned, meaning to protect Marco with her life. If they couldn't escape the least she could do was try to protect him. Her hand flew to the dagger tucked into her boot and a moment later, the hilt was jutting from the forehead of the lead corpse. It didn't seem to be terribly concerned with the injury though, as it didn't even break stride.

A yelp of pain from overhead drew her attention and she was surprised to see Jillas dangling from the entrance. He didn't look the least bit pleased with his predicament; he hung precariously over the edge, held by his tail. "Miss Amelia!" he called, "Where are ye?" He yelped and whimpered, "Boss, do ye 'ave t' pull so 'ard?"

"I'm right here!" Amelia called, waving her arms. Why couldn't he see her? She was standing right under him. "Lower your hand!" she instructed. "A bit more . . . that's good, Mister Jillas! Hold it right there!"

She turned and extended a hand to Marco. "Let's go!"

Marco was sitting next to himself with his back to the wall. He watched the advancing dead with a look of detached boredom on his face as he rolled the trinkets on the bracelet between his fingers. "You'd better go," he finally said in an emotionless tone, "You're not going to be able to make it dragging me along."

"I can make it," Amelia protested. "I'm an acrobat. I do stuff like this all the time! We can both get out of here if you'll just give me your hand!" Even as she protested, she knew that it wasn't true. She didn't even know if she was going to be able to make it on her own, much less with a kid hanging around her neck. "Come on, Marco!"

"They're not after me. Why should I go?"

In her heart, Amelia knew that he was right, but he'd been alone for so long and worked so hard to find Sarah that it wasn't fair to leave him down here in the dark. She hadn't abandoned him since she met him and to turn her back on him now that they were at the end . . . well, it killed her. "But . . ." she said without much conviction. She glanced up at Jillas and back down at Marco, torn between survival and loyalty. "I'll come back for you," she said. She could do that much for him at least.

"You will?" Marco actually looked surprised. "Why?"

"You want to see her, don't you? She's out there."

Marco nodded. "Yeah." He slipped the bracelets into his pocket and stood. "You'd better hurry." He shot a look at the advancing dead. "They're almost here."

Amelia glanced over her shoulder and a shiver ran down her spine. Not more than ten feet away now. Even as slowly as they were shambling, she still only had another few seconds at the most. She crouched, preparing to leap for her life; she'd get no second chance.

"Here." Marco laced his fingers together and held his hands out to make a step for her.

There was no time to thank him—they were upon her. Amelia stepped forward ignoring the twinge of pain in her twisted ankle, mounted Marco's hands, sprung . . .

And missed.

It had been a great attempt and should have been perfect; her fingers had closed around Jillas's wrist, but his fur had been slick with moisture—it was raining outside, apparently. At the same instant, cruel fingers had snagged her bad ankle and pulled. She'd lost her grip, was falling back down onto the assembled dead below . . .

"Gotcha, Miss!" Jillas exclaimed, snagging her with his other hand. His grip was tenuous at best; he had two of her fingers clutched tightly in his grasp. "Don't let go!" he yelped. Amelia tightened her grip, although she knew he had to be hurting, and watched as he fumbled for something on his belt.

Amelia cried out as the fingers tightened their grip on her wounded ankle. She looked down and saw dozens of empty eye sockets eagerly staring back up at her. They mindlessly slammed into the wall—smashing those unlucky enough to be closest to it—receded, and did it again. It was horrible to watch. Such single-minded devotion to killing her was a little overwhelming. What had she ever done to them anyway?

And worst of all, poor Marco was nowhere to be seen; the sea of death below had swallowed him. Or had he gotten out somehow? Surely ghosts could float through walls or something, right? That's what they'd always done in the stories Uncle Christopher had told her as a child.

"Amelia!"

When she looked up again, she found herself staring down the barrel of Jillas's pistol and almost fell right there. In the same moment, the foxman actually slipped forward a bit, no doubt the result of Zelgadis sharing her surprise.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said in answer to her shocked expression. "Could ye maybe do me a fava'? Move t' th' side a bit, would ya?"

"Um, I don't know about this, Mister Jillas!" Amelia protested. The barrel of the gun was even darker than her surroundings; she wasn't very enthusiastic about having a guy with no depth perception firing a weapon so close to her face.

"Trust me! I do this all th' time!"

Amelia grimaced. If she'd had the time, she would have asked exactly how many times he'd picked a murderous dead thing off a person's ankle in the dark, but thought better of it. Saying a quick prayer, she arched her body to the side as much as possible.

"Thanks," he said, drawing a bead on a shadow amidst shadows. Then, he pulled the trigger and unleashed fire and thunder in the darkness.

She'd been shot. White-hot pain lanced through her ribs. The muzzle flash blinded her and her ears rang painfully. The grip on her leg didn't slacken a bit and she knew that it was all over. There'd be no going back for Marco now. She wondered if she'd end up a ghost as well, wandering the area in search of Marco for all eternity.

Then, the spent pistol was falling past her and Jillas was reaching out with his other hand. "Told ye, I'd get 'im!" he exclaimed, snagging her wrist. "Pull, Boss! I got 'er!" Then Amelia was moving up and away from the tide of death that waited below.

* * *

A loud creak sounded in the dark.

Lina scowled, hovering somewhere between awareness and slumber, and snuggled more closely to her protector. Interruptions be damned, she hadn't been able to sleep this well since . . . well, ever. Nothing short of the house coming down on her head was going to make her get up.

There was another ominous creak followed by the sharp sound of splintering timbers. Groaning in annoyance, she rolled onto her back and blinked at the ceiling blearily. _Huh, would you look at that_, she thought sleepily as she rolled back onto her side. _The house is coming down._

Then she was awake. "The house is coming down!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. She flung back the sheet and rolled off the mattress, breaking her fall with her palms. Without a moment's hesitation, she reversed direction, flinging herself under the bed. She bumped into Gourry halfway and grinned at him stupidly in spite of their situation. "Hi."

If Gourry answered her greeting it was drowned out by a sickening thud as a crossbeam struck the bed where they'd been laying a moment before. Feathers began to drift down on either side of the frame, giving the impression that a flock of geese had exploded overhead. Before Lina's eyes, the feathers began to curl and blacken; it was like they were burning.

"Feel better?" Gourry asked. He didn't look the least bit rattled that his childhood home was coming down around his ears.

Lina thought for a second. Now that he mentioned it, she did feel better. "Yeah, thanks for asking. Hey, you seem to be taking things in stride. Are you feeling a bit better?"

Gourry nodded at her and said, "You're naked again." He spoke in a lifeless monotone that made her ache with pity. He had a lot of healing to do.

And he was right. Her dress had disappeared. Forcing false cheer into her voice, Lina replied, "Well, how about that? I guess I am." She couldn't muster the ambition to be annoyed about it. She would have known that it would happen if she'd thought about it.

There was another gunshot from overhead as something else gave way. "Hey, you know what, Gourry? I think we should move."

They rolled out from under the bed just before another heavy beam fell, puncturing the mattress like a javelin and imbedding itself in the floor where Lina's head had been resting an instant before.

The room was burning without burning. Wood popped, snapped, and blackened before their eyes and the roof warped and twisted from the phantom heat; it'd be coming down on their heads at any moment.

"Lina."

Lina glanced over at her protector just in time to snatch her maroon breeches out of the air. "Where'd you get these?" she hastily asked. She ended up dancing around the room like a drunken flamingo as she simultaneously tried to don them and dodge falling debris.

Gourry wordlessly nodded towards the corner of the room. Her leggings had apparently lain where she'd discarded them the night she'd finally accepted her feelings for him. Had it really only been three nights ago? Well, if her pants were here, that meant . . .

Yep, there were her boots, stashed behind the door. She remembered kicking them off just after she and Gourry had come into the room. They hadn't moved an inch, just as her pants hadn't. Aqua had offered to wash her clothes and she'd assumed that the old woman had; they'd disappeared when Aqua had made the suggestion. And she hadn't looked since; she'd had no reason to.

_It's all part of Marco's illusion_, she mused as she snatched her boots up. In all her years of work, she'd never seen a more elaborate haunting. People, places, things—all created for the purpose of reinforcing one child's dream. And now it was all ending. It was—

Gourry lunged forward and seized Lina around her chest, saving her from a collapsing wall. Unfortunately, the rubble blocked their path to the door.

"Hey! Thanks, Gour . . ." Lina's words died on her lips when she looked into Gourry's eyes. He was so lost and was still hurting badly. She gave him a reassuring smile and stroked his cheek lovingly. "Let's get out of here, okay?" She made a mental note to be more careful—if not for her sake, then at least for his. What would he do if something happened to her? She didn't want to think about it.

Pained indecision marred his face and Lina instinctively knew what was bothering him. He faced a quandary: keep her in his grasp and theoretically safe, or let her go for a few seconds while he made them an exit.

"An exit" was the option he seemed to choose. He released his hold on Lina and strode over to the rubble as he drew the Sword of Light. "Light come forth," he dully intoned as he raised the weapon overhead. One quick swipe of the blade would be all they needed to get through.

When Gourry swung the Sword of Light, there was no blade. It remained quiescent, as if it were still in the sheath. He stared at the hilt uncomprehendingly for a moment before tossing it aside like so much rubbish. Then, he began to dig through the rubble with his bare hands.

Lina watched the sword fall—shuddered when it hit the floor. For Gourry to so thoughtlessly throw aside his weapon . . . well, it felt as if he was giving up. And the idea of Gourry giving up infuriated her. She felt sorry for him—really she did—but it wasn't like she was having an easy time with everything that had happened either. Besides, this was definitely not the time for him to go to pieces. He could save that for when they were safe.

"Move," she commanded in a no nonsense tone, shoving him aside before he even had a chance to comply. She snatched up the sword and one flash of light later, their path was clear. As usual, she'd only been able to maintain the blade for an instant, but it'd been enough. Not to mention far more than Gourry was capable of at the moment.

"C'mon, Jellyfish," she said gruffly, "We're getting out of here." When he didn't immediately move, she sighed irately and grabbed his wrist. "Are you deaf? I said move it!" She tugged and he followed, albeit very reluctantly. They were at the door.

Lina muttered a quick prayer that their path was clear—and she didn't mean of debris either. She pulled the bedroom door open (the wood continued to blacken and pop, but gave off no discernable heat) and breathed a sigh of relief; the kitchen was empty. The ghosts of the past were gone.

"It's okay, Gourry. Come on!" She flashed him an encouraging smile and led him out of the emotional shelter of the bedroom. "Hey, my shirt!" she exclaimed, spotting her blouse hanging from a chair. It wasn't the least bit burnt. Had even the lantern that night been false? Did she and Gourry sit in the dark when they'd had their talk? It was a little unnerving. And lying on the floor beside it was her discarded cloak.

She winked at her forlorn protector as she buttoned up her top. "Hey, things can't get much better than this, can they?" she quipped. Had he smiled at her? Maybe just a bit. She slid her foot under her cloak, flicked it up in the air, made the catch, and donned it with a flourish.

"Alright then! Time to check out!" Lina exclaimed. She nimbly sidestepped a chunk of the ceiling and extended her hand to Gourry again. He eyed her curiously for a moment before offering her his left hand. He was carrying something in his right.

_Probably a keepsake_, Lina thought as she led him out. She filed it away from later inquiry as she led him out of the fire and into the morning storm.

* * *

Grou had existed for a very long time. And in all the centuries of its life, never once had it considered the possibility that it would one day find itself involuntarily bound to a Maker. It was a testament to the utter beauty and perfection of chaos that a creature as ancient as itself—a creature created on a whim—couldn't even begin to predict what the new day would bring.

But, this wasn't really the best time for reflection. Zelgadis, the creature that had the perplexing role of being Grou's captor and captive, was in imminent danger. And despite its distaste for the vampire, it was obligated to protect him to ensure its own continued existence. Ah, chaos.

It saw through Zelgadis's eyes as he pulled the servant and the woman to safety. It chuckled nastily as he tended to the girl—checking the burn that ran down her side (the servant had cut his shot _extremely_ close) and working the dead fingers from about her ankle. Then, it watched with the Maker as something shifted in the dark and the first withered arm shot out of the pit—the first of many.

_We could always run, you know_. It thought this "aloud" to share its thoughts with Zelgadis, even though it already knew that the answer would be a snarled "No." It was curious though. Why had he not questioned the nature of their bond as much as he'd scrutinized the one with the woman? After all, his mind was an open book to Grou. And there were so many . . . _intriguing_ secrets hidden in that mind.

On the other hand, Zelgadis knew only what the demon told him. The sharing of knowledge was a one-way street and, if he had any sense, he'd think long and hard about what that meant. And yet, he spent so much more time focusing on this girl.

_Stupid male_, it thought, earning a curse from Zelgadis for its efforts. Apparently, the idea of wooing a prospective mate was _far_ more important than preserving the integrity of one's own mind. Wave a pretty female in front of a male and they forgot all about the demon that was taking up space in their head.

Well, it was time to go to work. If Zelgadis didn't have a sense of self-preservation, it was Grou's responsibility to make sure the fool survived the upcoming conflict. It made the mental equivalent of an eye roll. Oh, would you look at this? He was telling the servant to take the girl and run. How very noble of him. From a tactical standpoint it was stupid. They were outnumbered, true, but as long as he'd had assistance he might have been able to stem the tide of death at its point of egress.

_You're going about this all wrong. Now, I know your little temper tantrums and fits of violence served you well in your management duties in Sairaag—ham fisting your problems to death must have been so very satisfying—but in this case, I think it'd behoove you to consider a bit of finesse. Which means you might want to accept my help._

Zelgadis snarled in response as he drew his sword. A moment later, he'd brought it down, crushing the first unfortunate cadaver's skull to dust. Three more surged up to replace it. It wouldn't be long before he was overrun at this rate. If he'd been facing normal humans, the biggest worry he'd have to face was wearing himself out killing them; there was only space enough for one man to exit at a time.

But, these things weren't men, or at least, they weren't anymore. It was remarkable how much girth one lost when flesh had long since crumbled to dust. That, combined with the fact that the dead had no sense of self-preservation, made their exit from the pit startlingly quick. Even when Zelgadis wasn't killing them, they were crushing one another in their zeal to get to him. It was as pointless as trying to stem the flow of a geyser. There was so much pressure from below that it had to go somewhere. They couldn't be stopped, or even slowed, and soon Zelgadis found himself surrounded.

Grou clucked his mental tongue in annoyance. This one was terribly annoying. It'd spent the entirety of its existence twisting and corrupting human lives. It was usually an easy affair, but sometimes you came across the random one who was stubborn as a mule. And his host, beloved Zelgadis, was as infuriating as a dozen asses.

_You're going to die. We're going to die. Is that what you want? Do you want the girl to die? The fox? Your stupid blond friend?_ Its voice dripped with distaste as it added, _Or how about the redhead? They're next, you know. When we fall—and we will fall; I hope you don't have any illusions about that—they're next._

"Shut up!" Zelgadis bellowed as he twirled his sword around, slicing a swath in the enemy that threatened to overrun him. Unbeknownst to him, Grou flicked his wings, sending a soldier that had been approaching from behind flying. The corpse had been on the verge of splitting his skull and Zelgadis hadn't even noticed.

_Why won't you accept my help? I've aided you before. Did I not keep you from killing the girl? What will it take to earn your trust?_ This was beginning to get terribly annoying. Although it was intelligent of Zelgadis not to take any favors from Grou—after all favors given had to be repaid in some form or another—it was growing tired of the paltry influence it had. It was time to take this stubborn mule down a peg or two.

Now, it was true that Grou was for all intents and purposes, a prisoner inside Zelgadis's mind. But, even inmates could exert some influence on their jailers over the course of time. The same was true in this situation. It had tested its control over the wings this morning, only managing a couple flaps before becoming exhausted from the exertion, but manipulating them, nonetheless. It had the same influence on the rest of his body to a far lesser extent. It had teased and whipped his hunger into a frenzy the other day when he'd almost taken the girl in her sickbed. That had been a mistake of sorts. Its goal had been to torment him, not drive him to murder; Shabranigdo knew that the girl was far too important in the grand scheme of things to lose on such a foolish test. After that, it'd scaled back its efforts briefly to assess what it was actually capable of. Now, it was time to exert its influence again.

_You know that I saved that girl's life. I told you to give back what you'd taken. She'd be dead now if I hadn't stepped in. And thanks to me, she's better than she ever was._ If Grou had lungs, it would have been holding its breath in that moment. Would Zelgadis react as it expected?

"What does that mean?" he demanded.

_She's changed Zelgadis—for the better. She's still changing._

"What did you do to her?" Zelgadis hissed as he fended off several clumsy attacks.

_I didn't do anything. I seem to recall that you were the one with your teeth buried in her jugular._

"Answer the damn question! What's wrong with her?!" Steel flew mercilessly, as if he thought that by cutting down his enemies, Grou would be more inclined to answer.

Grou feigned surprise. _"Wrong?" You don't like her? I think it's perfectly wonderful what you've done to her. Sure, there's the slight aversion to sunlight and I can't really be certain that she won't develop a taste for blood somewhere down the line . . . _It was unable to resist a mean little chuckle as it sensed one of the cadavers approaching Zelgadis from behind. It had his attention. Now it was a matter of keeping it. _I mean, her night vision is greatly improved and her skin is even fairer than before—nasty things, tans, if you ask me—and I just think . . ._

Zelgadis grunted in pain as a heavy weight slammed into his side. "What . . .?" he muttered curiously as he eyed the haft of the spear that had been driven home just beneath his ribs. "How did . . .?" His face contorted into a mask of fury as he redoubled his efforts.

_Oh my, but that must sting! And to think that we could have avoided that if you'd just given me a chance to prove my loyalty to you! Zelgadis, don't you understand yet that you need me? We need to work together to ensure both our survivals! It's immensely selfish of you to want to go down fighting when I haven't even had my say in the matter. I can end this whole fiasco in a matter of moments, if you'll just give me the chance!_

With the skill and subtlety of a master conductor, Grou tweaked Zelgadis's latest parry ever so slightly so that what should have been a solid block ended up barely deflecting a blow. The axe skipped along the blade of his sword with a loud clang and came to rest in his upper arm.

_Whoops! How very clumsy of you, Master._ Using the honorific infuriated it more than anything else. Damn Zelgadis for being so stubborn! The very idea that a mere mortal would ever hold sway over a demon was insulting. _Please, let me serve you. It pains me to see you suffering needlessly when salvation is so very close. All you have to do is accept it._ That was two injuries and the stupid Maker didn't even look as though he was even beginning to slow down. This was beginning to get worrisome. Grou was becoming incredibly tired from its efforts. If Zelgadis kept this up, it wouldn't have the strength to help them even if he did give himself to the demon.

This time, it was a mace that Zelgadis missed. It came whistling down in an overhand swing and would have caved in his skull if Grou hadn't jerked his head to the side ever so slightly. Fortunately—well, more fortunate than having his brain turned to paste in any case—the cast iron head succeeded only in fracturing his collarbone.

Zelgadis roared at the top of his lungs as his sword dropped from his now unwilling fingers. The ranks closed in around him as he fell to hands and knees. "Yes . . ." he hissed through clenched teeth. In many ways saying that word hurt more than his physical injuries.

Grou fought hard to keep the eagerness out of its tone. _"Yes," you say? I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean, Master Zelgadis . . ._

"Save us, you bastard!" Zelgadis dropped defenses that he didn't know he'd been maintaining, giving the demon totally unfettered access to his mind and body. For a moment, nothing happened and the enemy closed in around him again. The demon had been lying and he was about to die.

_Cease your fretting. I'm trying to work._ The sniveling tone had been abandoned in an instant with Zelgadis's acceptance. It pictured itself flowing through every inch of the Maker's being and thus, it did. For the first time since Zelgadis consumed it, Grou was in control again.

"This is the way, Zelgadis!" it joyously shrieked in a tongue that made Zelgadis sick to his stomach—the guttural speech of demons. It threw Zelgadis's—its—head back and laughed hysterically. Slowly the world came into focus for Grou and it realized that it was still surrounded by the dead.

"Pitiful things," it hissed as it reached down to pull the spear from its side, "return to the purgatory that spawned you!" Even as it knitted Zelgadis's flesh and bone together until it was new, it was studying its foes. It recognized these men. To be more accurate, it recognized their time. The style of their armor—or rather what was left of it—was quite archaic and marked them as being somewhere in the neighborhood of a thousand years old—right about the time of the purge of non-Ceiphiedians. Recalling the years of genocide made it feel a wave of nostalgia. What had happened to the good old days?

The dead men moved in despite Grou's warning. Their single-minded devotion to destruction was admirable; reason and sanity must have fled these lost souls many years ago. However exquisite their madness might be, it didn't excuse the fact that they were standing in the path of the Demon of Blood.

Grou grinned wickedly and flung Zelgadis's sword to the ground; it had no need of paltry mortal tools. It put Zelgadis's index finger in his mouth and bit down, drawing blood. Then, it pointed at the closest attacker. For a moment, nothing happened. And then there was a sound—so high pitched that it was almost beyond the reach of even Zelgadis's sensitive ears and the dead paused as if confused.

"Well now, that was fun." The demon lowered Zelgadis's hand and sighed contentedly. "I gave you fair warning." It turned and began to walk towards the trees where it sensed that The girl and the servant were still watching. Zelgadis had told them to run. Couldn't they even follow the simplest of orders?

Behind Grou, the soldiers lurched into motion again, meaning to follow the Maker and tear him to pieces. As soon as they moved, they crumbled to dust—metal, bone, and desiccated flesh all imploding in an instant.

"You may cease your cowering. The threat is gone." As if in support of Grou's claim, the first ray of sunlight broke through the roiling blackness overhead.

The storm was over.

* * *

"And let your children not . . . um . . . wander without hope, but . . . er . . . oh, goddammit . . . show them the way home so that they may rest in your loving . . . um . . . er . . . son of a bitch, what is it . . . um . . . hug . . . or something . . ."

Zelgadis's lips twitched and he came dangerously close to grinning at a funeral. He leaned forward, quietly cleared his throat, and whispered, "Lina, I think the word you want is 'embrace'."

Lina's hands were clasped in front of her and her head lowered in prayer. The only indication she gave that she'd heard Zelgadis was a slight increase in the volume of her voice. To the casual observer, it might appear that she was actually trying to scare the spirits of the dead away by yelling at them. The truth was that she wasn't irritated; she was just squirming at the idea of being uncomfortably shoehorned into a role she had precious little experience with. Ceiphied knew she'd complained about it enough.

The only experience Amelia had with the rites of Ceiphied were children's prayers said before bedtime. Gourry . . . well, even if Gourry hadn't been distraught and knew the first thing about funeral rites, it wouldn't be right to ask him to handle his own family's burial. Jillas's broken dialect disqualified him right off; they hadn't even bothered to ask him. As for Zelgadis . . . as a former government official, he was more than qualified to handle such a task. Religion and government went hand and hand, after all. However, Grou had informed him in no uncertain terms that it would have nothing to do with 'mindless Ceiphiedian drivel'. And so, that had left Lina.

_And she's not doing that bad_, Zelgadis thought. _Well, aside from the almost frightening amount of blasphemy she's throwing out, but beggars can't be choosers, right? _In the back of his mind, he sensed Grou sniggering loudly at Lina's butchered efforts, despite the fact that it had exhausted itself saving them from the dead army. There was something utterly nasty about a creature that would actually strain itself to belittle Lina's honest effort to bring comfort to the bereaved.

"Well, I guess that's about it," Lina said with a pained sigh. "I'm sorry, Gourry."

Zelgadis looked up to see Lina embracing Gourry. They rocked back and forth slowly, drawing comfort from one another. The look on Gourry's face was unnerving. He stared at the modest graves of his family, his eyes dry, as if he'd forgotten how to cry. Ironically enough, although they'd laid the dead to rest, he looked more haunted than ever.

"Why did this happen, Miss Lina?" Amelia inquired as she eyed the graves of Marco and Sarah sadly. True to her word, she'd gone back down without hesitation after the danger was over and had brought the boy's remains to the surface. He was now resting beside Sarah; they'd been reunited at long last.

"Blame it on fate, the cosmos, chance . . . whatever you want." Lina nodded at the graves of the children and said, "You said he made a promise, right? That can be a powerful thing. I've heard about stuff like that—ghosts that refuse to rest because of an unfulfilled desire or wish. That's what this looks like to me."

"An _entire village_ of ghosts?" Zelgadis said with a snort of disbelief. "I've never heard of anything like that. Did they all have unfulfilled promises?"

Lina glared at him briefly and Zelgadis was stricken by how old she looked. Maybe it was the stress, but the hair that had seemed almost silvery before had lost some of its luster; it'd become an ugly iron gray that actually threatened to overwhelm the crimson locks atop her head.

She shook her head and sighed tiredly. "I don't _know_ exactly why it happened the way it did." He could tell that it pained her to admit ignorance in a subject that should be her forte.

"Miss Lina, I think I know what it was." Amelia flashed them an embarrassed smile, as if she knew what she was going to say was a bit silly. "I . . . I think it was love."

"Love?!" Lina repeated, unable to hide her incredulity. "Come on, Amelia. Even if I did believe in that 'love conquers all' silliness, you've got to face facts. Sure they might have been good friends, but they were just a couple of kids."

Amelia looked slightly crestfallen. "I think it was love," she quietly protested. "You might think they were just kids, but they were . . . I don't know . . . they were on the edge . . . about to grow up." She blushed a bit and made a point of not looking at Zelgadis as she added, "I had my first crush about their age and it felt . . . _strong_. Almost like magic. I think that something that powerful could do just about anything, don't you?"

"Oh, gimmie a break," Lina groaned.

Amelia frowned at the redhead and said, "Seriously, Miss Lina! I think Marco could have done all this," she gestured at the burnt out husks of buildings, "for Sarah. He wanted her to be happy. And if she was wandering around alone, like he was, wouldn't it be nice for her to see some friendly faces, even if he was just making them up?"

She didn't realize she was doing it, but Zelgadis noted the way Amelia kept wiping the sweat off her brow, even though it was early autumn and somewhat chilly. It was the sun that was doing it to her. The light was causing her discomfort.

Suddenly, Zelgadis realized that he didn't want to hear anymore of the girls' debate. He was very tired and wanted nothing more than to sit down. After all, he didn't find the sun to be terribly pleasant himself. With a peremptory gesture to Jillas instructing him to follow, he turned and walked away from the bickering girls. It was only when he was out of earshot that he allowed himself to collapse in the shadow of a blackened shed.

Jillas sat down next to him and asked, "Boss, are ye okay? Ye don' look too chipper, ye know?"

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired."

"Yeah, that's about what I thought," Jillas said with a nod. "I expect ye're a bit whipped." His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper and he asked, "Boss, I been meanin' to ask ye, 'ow did ye kill all th' dead guys back there?"

Zelgadis pointed his finger at Jillas's eye and said, "Imagine, if you can, a strand of hair ten feet in length, tethered to the tip of my finger. Got it? Good. Now, imagine if that hair wasn't hair. It was blood—a strand of blood, sharper than any sword and quicker than the blink of an eye." His voice quavered for just an instant before he got himself under control again. "It killed those things in a heartbeat when I let it out."

"Let . . . Let what out, Boss?" Jillas asked. He stared at Zelgadis's fingertip as if it were a coiled snake on the verge of striking.

"The demon." Zelgadis slowly lowered his had. It felt less like a part of him than a weapon that might go off at any moment. He suddenly felt curious, but quickly realized that it wasn't him; Amelia was looking for him.

He seized Jillas by the front of his worn cloak and hissed, "Listen carefully, because I don't have much time. I'm leaving and I want you to stay with Amelia."

Jillas shook his head. "No way, Boss! I swore an oath! An oath t' follow ye t' th' ends o' the . . ."

"Jillas, I release you from my service. You saved Amelia back there. You've more than repaid your debt to me. If anything were to happen to her, I don't know . . ." he sighed and shook his head in confusion, "I can't imagine what I'd do if anything happened to her."

"But, Boss . . ."

"Listen to me, Jillas! I'm asking you—not as your master, but as a friend—to look after Amelia for me."

"Boss, you can look afta' 'er! She'll be safa' with th' both of us!"

Zelgadis shook his head in irritation. "_No_, Jillas! I've already hurt her too much and I won't do it again. I have to go."

"Mister Zelgadis? Mister Jillas? Where'd you go?"

Zelgadis and Jillas looked up guiltily when they heard Amelia call their names. They didn't have much longer.

"Boss . . ." Jillas whispered, "Ye . . . Ye know she fancies ye, right? I don' think ye should do this . . . It ain't right . . ."

Fury welled up in Zelgadis and he shook Jillas by the front of his cloak. "I will _never_ touch her again!" he snarled. Then he was off, running like the wind and, as much as he wanted to, he didn't look back.

* * *

Marco sighed. Here he was again at their spot. The large oak tree loomed ominously overhead. Long jagged branches that had once entertained him and Sarah for hours on end, stretched out towards him. The reflecting pool was a depressing morass of stirred up silt and was covered with scum. There'd be no skipping stones across it now.

He leaned up against the tree and shoved his hands into his pockets. Without Sarah, this place was meaningless. He'd failed her so very long ago and now it looked as if Amelia hadn't done much better. He wondered how she, Amelia, was doing. Even though she hadn't been able to help him, he hoped that she was okay. She'd done her best. It was just . . .

The chirp of the evening's first cricket coaxed a smile out of Marco and dispelled his sad thoughts as if by magic. There was a familiar sound. Now if only there were some fireflies to go with them, he'd be set for the evening.

As if on cue, a tiny blip of pale yellowish light appeared in front of his nose. It quickly disappeared and then reappeared a few feet away, as if taunting him—challenging him to give chase. In another few moments, the firefly was joined by a host of its brethren and the sound of the cricket became a symphony as the other evening creatures added their voices to the song.

Then there was the sound—a _wonderful_ sound. Over the rest of the noises he heard a familiar series of splashes. One, two, three . . . Wow, seven of them!

And then, the sound of her laughter reached his ears.

He turned, hardly daring to believe. His breath caught in his throat. It was her. Sarah was here.

She casually tossed a small stone from hand to hand with that wonderful smile on her face. "Did you see that one, Marco? I got seven! I've been practicing." When Marco didn't immediately answer, she laughed again. "Hey, you're going to catch a fly if you don't shut your mouth, stupid."

Marco quickly snapped his mouth shut. "You're here . . ."

"Of _course_ I'm here!" Sarah replied with a roll of her eyes. "You were supposed to meet me here a long time ago!" The beginnings of a sly grin on her face, she pointed at something across the pond, which, Marco noted, had cleared up when he wasn't looking. "Oh my gosh, look at that!"

Marco turned and squinted in the fading light. "What? I don't see any—"

That was when she pounced. Marco suddenly found his head trapped under Sarah's arm. "Stupid head!" she admonished as she mussed his hair, "what kept you?"

"Hey, cut it out!" Marco yelled as he struggled to free himself from her grasp. He didn't try too hard though and there was a big smile on his face.

All was right with the world again.

* * *

Gourry meticulously sifted through the wreckage of what had been, until a few hours ago, his parents' home. Everything was a ruin of blackened wood and broken stone. Even the chimney had fallen over, leaving behind a depressing pile of rubble. The really sad thing was that it wasn't even new wreckage. The greenery poking through the floorboards told him that this had happened a long time ago. The forest was reclaiming the land.

That thought angered Gourry. This house belonged to his family, not to the past! Scowling, he made his way through the area, compulsively pulling weeds as if he could turn back time. He blinked back tears as he did so, understanding that in the end, the forest would have its prize and the memories would disappear. What was the point then?

He suddenly felt tired and lurched over to the charred pile of lumber that had once been his parents' bed. Halfheartedly clearing a spot on the ground, he sat down and leaned back against scorched frame. And then, he cried. He cried because of what he'd lost, true. But mostly, he wept out of shame. He'd hurt his parents so much when he'd refused to look at them. He'd needed Lina—sick Lina, who should have been resting—to save him from his own family.

Gourry looked up, blinking through his tears at the door, or rather what was left of the frame, which marked what had once been the kitchen. He didn't remember moving, but he found himself standing in the doorway, his hand resting on a doorknob that wasn't there anymore. He gripped the memory, turned, and pulled . . . the door swung open . . . and he remembered.

He'd laid in bed, cradling his beloved Lina in his arms for five agonizing minutes. Her breaths had come in weak shaky gasps and every time she'd stopped, trying to decide whether or not to go on, he'd hold his breath too and will her to continue.

A trembling hand slid down from where it was draped over her shoulder, traced the gentle swell of her breast as it traveled, and finally came to rest on her stomach. This was where it would happen. He spread his fingers, anticipating the feeling of skin ripping beneath his hand as a spectral weapon pierced her and laid her open. He didn't know why he did it—he couldn't save her if it happened, after all—but . . . he just wanted to bring her as much comfort as possible. He'd never been so frightened in his life and he was sure that she was going to leave him. He was going to be alone in whatever nightmare he'd been trapped in.

Then, Lina giggled and the fear drained out of him as if by magic. "S-Stop it," she whispered, halfheartedly slapping at the offending hand resting on her stomach. "Tickles . . ." Then her breathing finally smoothed out and she began to take long deep breaths—began to snore, to be quite honest, although she'd almost certainly protest that a beautiful girl like herself was incapable of doing such an unladylike thing. The important thing was that she'd be fine.

Gourry had stayed with her a few moments longer, trying to draw courage from the fact that she was alive and still with him. He intertwined his fingers with hers, every so gently drew her hand up to his face, and kissed it. Once wasn't enough and he kissed the back of her wrist. It still didn't slacken his need to be with her, but it would be enough to sustain him for the moment.

He took a deep breath, held it as he struggled to choose between two very different forms of love, and finally—painfully—relinquished his hold on Lina. She'd rescued him from danger a few moments ago, but that didn't change the fact that he still had to face it. He'd never be able to live with himself if he didn't.

So, draping the bed sheet over Lina in what he hoped was a fair exchange for taking away his body heat (he could have sworn that he heard her grumble irritably as he did so) he turned away from the bed and walked purposefully over to the door. If he stopped moving, he'd never be able to start again, so he turned the knob and flung the door open without even breaking stride and entered the kitchen.

The kitchen, it looked like an abattoir; ugly patches of red were smeared all over the floor that his mother kept meticulously clean. He could trace his parents' progress through the house by their bloody footprints. His mother had started to follow him to the bedroom, most likely to eavesdrop, but had been headed off by the much larger prints of his father. He followed their path as it led back to the table. He was unable to suppress a gasp when he finally laid eyes on them.

"M-Mom . . . Dad," he whispered. His throat had become dry all of a sudden. Here they were: his family. They'd been sitting around the table talking in hushed tones. No doubt, they had been discussing his strange behavior. From Lina's violence, to his shameful and cowardly behavior, it was probably too much for them to comprehend at the moment.

"Hey," the bloody corpse that had once been his father said in a cheerful tone, "there's the boy now. Doing all right, Gourry?" The swordsman could detect the strain in his voice; this was an act—a show for his benefit.

Gourry nodded and forced a smile. "Sure, Dad. I'm fine. She—Lina I mean—she was just . . . sick. She's been sick for awhile . . . at least, I think she has . . ."

"Gourry," his mother interjected, "what was wrong with _you_, dear?" She was tapping her cheek, which was a good indication that she was upset. That was bad enough, but what was really disconcerting was the fact that she wasn't really tapping her cheek so much as she was tapping her cheekbone. The hollow rhythmic sound was unnerving.

"I . . ." Gourry swallowed hard and approached the table. He pulled his chair out and sunk into it resignedly. "I don't know . . . I'm tired—Lina's tough to keep up with even when she's not at her best—and when I saw that you and Dad . . ." He glanced up at his mother as he spoke, but couldn't maintain eye contact. It was too painful. ". . . saw that you were home, I mean, it was just . . . just . . ." He swallowed hard, trying to get the words past the lump in his throat. "It was just too much."

Gourry leaned on the table tiredly. He felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was the truth, for the most part. Finding out that his family was gone on top of worrying that Lina was going to die at any moment, _had_ been a lot to handle. He picked up his fork and began to work on his pancakes, more out of a desire to have something to do with his hands than hunger. If he didn't do something, they'd see him trembling.

"Well, I can understand that," Mom said kindly. The scraping of her chair on the floor indicated that she'd moved closer to him. Gourry felt her hand pat his shoulder. "It sounds like you've had a rough day, Gourry."

"Mmm," Gourry said through a mouthful of pancakes. He nodded his head enthusiastically, but still refused to look at her. He wanted to remember her as she had been before.

"S'funny though," Dad said from across the table. "Your gal, she didn't look sick. Had a lotta spirit for someone knockin' on death's door." He laughed heartily. "She actually looked pretty feisty if you ask me! Kind of like your mum! Sorry, love."

Gourry imagined that his mother must have shot Dad one of her withering looks. As he fished the last of a pancake out of a puddle of syrup, he mused that Lina and his mom would probably get along pretty well. They were both smart, strong willed, and killed vampires. Well, maybe not the last one, but still . . .

"Would you like some more breakfast, Gourry?" Grandma inquired.

"No . . . no thanks, Grandma," Gourry replied with a quick shake of his head. He held his breath and wished that Grandma would move away a bit. Apparently, she'd finished burning, but the smell lingered. The idea of eating anything else was . . . ugh.

"So," Dad said in a slightly quieter voice, "this gal . . . she important to you?"

Setting his fork down, Gourry took a deep breath and forced himself to look up. Dad was a mess, to be sure, but he was still Dad, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face. He found himself matching that smile.

"Yeah," Gourry said after a moment of consideration, "she's kinda important." That was an understatement; Lina was the first thing he thought of when he woke up and the last thing he saw before drifting off to sleep. He had the notion that he might have actually dreamed of her a few times, although his dreams tended to be vague and he rarely remembered them upon waking. You couldn't touch a dream, so they weren't worth pondering anyway, right?

"And . . . she needs me. I think I'll get back to her and see if she's any better." Gourry pushed his plate away and stood, forcing himself to look at each of them in turn. It hurt to do it, but he loved them too much to snub them.

Mom was smiling at him. It was beautiful and horrible at the same time. The left side of her face had gone completely slack, but the other side . . . that was the mother he remembered. "Okay then. Take care of her, Gourry."

Gourry nodded. "I will. Well . . . bye." He felt like an idiot, waving to his family just because he was about to leave the room. He paused in the doorway and turned back to look at them one last time. "Just so you know, I'm gonna marry her."

He didn't know why he'd said it. He'd never even considered the idea of marriage before that moment, but it made sense, didn't it? He'd protect her for the rest of his life if she would let him. And the best place to be to do that was by her side—on the road, in their bed, in battle, through happiness and hardship.

Apparently, his proclamation made everyone in the room happy, judging from their smiles. That brought him an amazing amount of relief and satisfaction; if they were happy, it made him happy.

"Well, Gourry, don't just stand there," Grandma said cheerfully. She shoved a warm cup containing a green liquid into his hands—Lina's medicine. "Get the young lady healthy so we can celebrate!"

The corners of Gourry's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Apparently, they thought that it was a done deal? But, he hadn't even asked her yet! This could be bad. If Lina woke up and heard his intentions from a third party . . . things could get ugly.

He frowned sensing some change in the room. There was something very wrong here. That's when he noticed that the cup he held was cold. He didn't have to look down to know that it was empty. Grandma had never brewed the medicine; she couldn't touch it because she wasn't there. Mom and Dad embracing one another and smiling at him—they weren't there either. Everything that he was seeing was a lie.

"I . . . I've got to check on Lina," he hastily explained. He stepped through the door and closed it behind him. As soon as he heard the click of the latch—the horribly _finality_ of it—he knew that they were gone. He could open the door again and the kitchen would be empty. His family was dead.

The cold useless cup dropped from his nerveless fingers and shattered on the floor. He stepped over it and made his way over to the bed where Lina was still asleep. He felt dead inside and couldn't even muster up any tears. He wanted to—knew that he should—but couldn't.

Instead, he'd crawled into bed, wrapped his Lina in his arms, and just existed.

Until now. Gourry blinked through his tears, feeling a moment of confusion. Then he remembered where he was and why he was here. He reached into a pocket and produced an envelope. It'd been sitting on the table right where he'd left it. Grandma hadn't even touched it, because she'd never been there to begin with.

But, that didn't change the fact that Lina needed her medicine.

* * *

Lina sat in the shade of a large oak tree and pondered the events of the last few hours. They'd all gained and lost so much these past few days. The bad thing was, what they'd lost was valuable and what they'd gained was of dubious worth.

Amelia and Zel had gotten . . . something. She hadn't quite figured it out yet. He'd bitten Amelia and Lina had been sure that the younger girl wouldn't survive the night, but here she was, a little more sullen than usual, but just as full of life as ever. It'd been more of a relief than she was willing to admit—she was getting pretty attached to Amelia—and she'd made a point of slapping her medallion around the thickheaded idiot's neck as soon as she'd shown up. "Take this off again and Zel won't have a chance to kill you!" she'd said, although her threat was empty. At most, she'd probably break Amelia's legs for removing it again.

And hey, she'd gotten her sister back, so that was pretty cool, right? She grimaced. Granted, Luna was a pissed off and homicidal version of her old self, but when she thought about it, it wasn't that big a change from when she was a kid, right? She chuckled a bit at that. Always put things in perspective—that was the way to go. Things that looked bad were rarely as dire as they first appeared.

Then, of course, there was Gourry. He'd lost his family, the poor guy, and she wondered how he was even functioning now. It was scary how quiet he'd gotten lately, as if he didn't know how to cope with what he'd been through. She couldn't blame him. She'd lost her parents when she was very young and didn't really remember them, but it'd hurt her horribly when Luna had been taken from her a few years ago. There was a place in her heart that would never really heal.

"Speaking of Gourry, where'd Jellyfish get to?" Lina stood and stretched. He'd wandered off a while ago and she'd sensed that he needed to be alone for a bit. Now, she was starting to regret that decision.

"Gourry?" she called as she scanned the ruins. This was nice. Amelia and the others were gone too. A playful grin crossed her face. If she could find him, maybe they'd find a nice secluded place where she could show him just how lucky he was to be alive. It might even help shake him out of his daze. She was willing to bet that nothing warded off the sadness of dealing with death like a wild bout of . . .

"Sex!" Lina shouted at the top of her lungs when she turned around and found herself standing face to face with her protector. "Dammit, Gourry! Don't do that! I thought I was going to have a heart attack and ooh, what's that smell?" Anger segued seamlessly into curiosity. It was a familiar scent, one she could almost put her finger on . . .

"Medicine," Gourry said tonelessly. Apparently he was totally unfazed by the fact that Lina had gone from screaming about sex, to insults, to inquiries in the span of five seconds. He was used to such eccentricities in her personality; or maybe, he just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.

"Medicine," Lina repeated dubiously as she took the bowl he was offering. She swished the contents around and scrutinized them. An opaque, greenish, thick liquid stared right back at her. Ugh, she knew where she'd seen this before.

"Did Auntie make this? Because, as good as this stuff smells, it tastes disgusting. I used to drink this when I was a kid and I'm not gonna. . ." Her protests died on her lips as she looked into his sad eyes. They were red and puffy from tears. Despite all he'd been through, he was still thinking about her. And here she was acting like a child again. "Sorry," she whispered as she raised the bowl to her lips.

When the first draught of the gunk hit her throat, she realized that Aqua couldn't have made it; it was still warm. That meant that Gourry had whipped it up. But how . . .? Questions were quickly forgotten when something lodged in her throat. Her eyes bugged out and she dropped the bowl, spilling the remaining contents. "Ack!" she gasped, clawing at her neck. Thankfully, Gourry was at her side in a flash and one stiff blow to her back later, the murderous obstruction flew free.

Lina shot Gourry a dirty look as she crawled around on hands and knees looking for the foreign object. "Gourry, if you're gonna mix something up, make sure you don't get . . . any . . . oh, Ceiphied . . ." Her hand trembling, she picked the gold out of the grass. That was why she'd seen it. It glinted in the sunlight.

It was a small broach bearing the image of the Flare Dragon—the insignia of the High Priest. And judging by the bit of white cloth attached to it, it had until recently adorned a familiar cloak. But, what was Luna doing in the service of the High Priest?

* * *

Notes: And we're done with Marco's story! Is Lina going back to Sairaag? Will Gourry ever be the same? Where's Zel gone and are Amelia and Jillas going to chase him down? All very good questions that I'll do my best to answer as soon as I figure them out. Don't hold your breath for the next chapter, okay? Seriously, it's not going to be that long, but I do need to do a bit of plotting to get the next arc going.

Reviewer Response:

Hurray for me, Stara! I think I actually answered all your questions about the last chapter in this one before you even asked them! And that's saying something. You really keep me on my toes.

Otaku Girl, it's been 5 years since Gourry's family died. Thanks for the comments!

Muffles, thanks for the squealing! That's such a compliment. Seriously! The big problem is keeping the comedy from overwhelming the more serious stuff. Humor is to horror what garlic is to a vampire.

Hey, Lina doesn't use magic in all the 'Slayers in high school' Aus, does she Setra Prince? And who says that Xellos isn't evil? He's a trickster and there's a lot more to him than has been revealed so far . . .

Crap. Wesley, you have no idea of how disappointed I am that I missed the opportunity to do something with the smoke. There could have been so many cool images there. Well, maybe next time, huh?

Grrr, Kaitrin, you need to be more specific in your suggestions! I thought you wanted more of a 1st personish thing in the Mom/Dad comments . . . Well, live and learn, right?

Miss Gabriev, I hope that it's not all confusing anymore. Ask any questions you like and I'll try to answer them if they won't spoil anything. The body Marco found down in the cave was his own. They found Sarah before.

Thanks for reading everyone! Until next time!


	42. The Return

Lina sat before the campfire, lost in thought. For the last hour, she'd watched the steady progression from a healthy blaze—the wood popping and snapping in a comforting manner—to its current state as little more than a few charred branches and dying embers. She scowled, becoming aware of her surroundings just long enough to snag another branch from the pile beside her and feed it to the flame. It wouldn't do to let the darkness overtake the camp. Who could say what might be lurking just outside the comforting circle of light.

Sparks flew, briefly illuminating the redhead's face with a haunting glow, and then diminished. She thought for a moment that she was going to have to relight the fire when the first guttering flame appeared. It licked at the wood weakly at first. Finding the new fuel to its liking, it flared up with an unbridled enthusiasm. A few moments later, the fire raged anew, creating a comforting circle of light, while simultaneously casting sinister shadows.

A bit more at ease, Lina heaved a sigh of mingled exhaustion and stress and stretched. She arched her back and thrusting her chest out, smiling at the series of muffled pops as she worked the kinks out. That had been a relief. She'd been thinking again, brooding really, and she didn't like it. She gazed across the renewed fire at her slumbering companions. Well, one of them anyway. She'd no idea where Jellyfish and fuzz-face had gotten to.

Amelia muttered something under her breath and rolled onto her side. The fire illuminated her face, throwing her frown into sharp relief; it was obvious that something had upset her. Her shoulders jerked under the thin blanket that covered her and a moment later, the quiet sound of sobbing could be heard over the crackle of the fire. Bad dreams.

Lina frowned. It might just be dreams, but it might have been something more, too. Amelia shared some sort of link with Zelgadis—the heartless jerk—and this might have something to do with that. In the days since he'd run off, she'd seen Amelia wearing a very Zel-ish scowl more than once. It was eerie how alike they seemed sometimes, almost as if instead of leaving, he'd possessed her. She knew that wasn't true though. Amelia showed no signs of being possessed, at least not in the usual way. No, this was more like she was being _haunted_. Zelgadis lurked just on the edge of Amelia's personality showing up only when she was distracted. Lina was concerned, but at the same time, irritated. She couldn't grasp the concept of what was wrong with Amelia. It was infuriating, really.

She'd just made up her mind to wake up Amelia—maybe she could get some answers out of the acrobat before she woke up enough to clam up—when the sharp snap of a twig drew her attention. She whirled around, her hand flying to her sword hilt before noting the identity of the intruder. "Gourry?"

"Yeah?" the swordsman mumbled as he stepped into the clearing. His shoulders were slumped as if he carried a great burden and he moved with none of the grace she'd come to expect from him. It was a wonder that he'd be careless enough to let Lina hear him approach.

"You okay?" Lina asked.

Gourry flopped down beside her with a sigh. "Sure."

"Where ya been?"

A subtle shrug. "Around." Gourry stared pointedly into the fire, his expression an unreadable mask.

Lina briefly considered pursuing the subject, but decided to drop it. She felt tired all of a sudden—too tired to drag any information out of Mister Enigma. She shot him a withering glare, which he, of course, ignored and muttered something about getting some sleep.

Gourry grunted noncommittally in response.

She fetched a deep sigh, in hopes that he might get the hint that she was annoyed with him, but no such luck. He just continued to stare impassively into the fire. There had been an incredibly profound change in him over the past few days.

It had been a long week since they'd moved on from Gourry's home. As they'd traveled, he'd gradually succumbed to a sort of malaise that, try as she might, she hadn't been able to shake him out of. Where does one begin to assist a loved one in coping with such a horrible loss? Ceiphied knew she'd done her best; as much of a genius as she was, she had to admit (if only to herself) that she didn't know the first thing about dealing with emotions. After the funeral, she'd loved him in the most physical sense–the most direct approach tended to be best, after all; one didn't kill vampires by stabbing them in the back–but during the act, the unthinkable had happened: Gourry had frightened her. Oh, she'd been frightened _for _the big lummox before; as often as he'd done that, it was no wonder she was going gray. But, never had he made her afraid _of _him.

That wasn't the worst of it. Accidents could and often did happen after all. If he'd just gotten a bit overzealous she would have sworn at him and beaten him over the head once or thrice. No, this was different; this was wrong. He'd been terrifying in his need, raining the roughest and most insistent of kisses upon her and cleaving to her like a spider to a fly. At times, she couldn't breathe; she remembered that much vividly. And when he'd finished, he sobbed her name with the utmost pain as he compulsively worked his fingers through locks of crimson and silver, almost as if he were mourning her and not his family.

_But, that's stupid_, she thought even as she suppressed a shudder. She wasn't dead and neither was Gourry. And as much as he was hurting, she knew that he'd come around sooner or later. She had faith in him. He was Gourry; he was stable as a mountain, having unblinkingly faced down things at her side that made even her blood run cold. He would recover. He had to. If he didn't . . . well, if it came to that, she'd burn that bridge when she reached it.

Lina came back to herself and realized that she was staring at Gourry again. And he still wasn't looking at her. She had the infuriating sense that she was being dismissed in some way. Growling in annoyance, she snatched up another log and flung it onto the fire a bit harder than she had to.

The resulting flare illuminated an ominous figure standing just to Lina's left. Her blood went cold and she opened her mouth to shout a warning to Gourry. Then, the light caught him a certain way and she snapped her mouth shut. "Jillas!" she exclaimed.

The werefox standing before her was in his half beast form, but was instantly recognizable by his cheerful (and decidedly toothy) smile and eye patch. His snout was smeared with blood and strange white streaks marred his fur. "'Ello, Miss!"

He might have meant to say something else, but Lina silenced him by slamming her fist into his snout. He yowled in pain and sat down roughly, seeming to expel a cloud of whiteness as he did so. "I thought ye knew it was me?" he whined as he rubbed his poor mistreated nose.

"I did," Lina replied with a huff. She was madder at herself than Jillas. If she hadn't been woolgathering she would have . . . "What is this . . .?" Her brow furrowed in thought, she reached out and plucked a bit of the whiteness from the air. Closer scrutiny revealed that she was holding a feather—a chicken feather if she wasn't mistaken. She felt her spirits sink and she groaned. "_What_ did you do?"

"Well . . ." The fox's expression had gone from pained indignance to guilt in the span of three seconds.

Lina turned her head and listened as a new sound joined the symphony of the night: the baying of hounds followed by the yells of a very irate sounding man. In the blink of an eye, she turned her attention back to Jillas and seized the front of his tattered cloak. Shaking him until his teeth rattled, she bellowed, "What is your problem! Did the thought ever cross your tiny brain that we're fugitives—largely thanks to you—and that we're not avoiding the roads and attention for our health!" These were apparently rhetorical questions, as she didn't give him so much as a moment to answer. "Do you think we _like_ living off nuts and berries! What do you have to say for yourself!"

Jillas wobbled back and forth a moment longer before finally focusing on Lina. "Um . . . I'm a fox?" His face lit up and he reached into his cloak and produced a blood spattered bird carcass. "Don' be mad. I saved ye some."

"Thanks. I'll remember that when we're about to be hanged," Lina sarcastically retorted. "We're about to die, but at least Jillas saved us some chicken!" She did a double take, examining the chicken again. "You've taken bites out of this! Of all the . . ." She trailed off with a grunt of annoyance and shoved the fox aside. Without wasting another moment, she hustled around the camp, cramming her meager possessions into a sack. "Amelia!" she yelled, nudging the younger girl with her foot when she drew close enough. "Get up. We're in trouble."

Amelia kicked her blanket off and sat up with a start. Her eyes were wide with shock and the firelight revealed a sheen of sweat across her face. She looked around nervously as if she hadn't expected to wake up where she'd fallen asleep. She mumbled, "What? Where . . .?" before finally focusing on Lina. Her hand suddenly flew to her left breast and she kneaded the flesh compulsively, as if trying to work out a cramp. She uttered a small pained noise as her face scrunched up in a mask of agony.

"You okay?" Lina asked, momentarily forgetting the rapidly nearing sounds of pursuit. She knelt down beside the acrobat and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

A quick shake of her head indicated that Amelia was anything but okay. "My . . . my chest hurts," she managed to squeak between gasps for breath.

Lina gritted her teeth and watched helplessly as Amelia struggled with whatever was hurting her. Not knowing anything else to do, she clapped the younger girl on the back. Her mind raced, flying through several possibilities and dismissing each of them in turn.

Could there be something wrong with Amelia's heart? In her years of travel, she'd met her share of people with weak hearts; mostly, it was old people though. And the few young people were sickly to begin with and not nearly as active as Amelia. She was an acrobat, for Ceiphied's sake!

Then it hit her: what if Amelia had somehow caught her illness? Lina felt her stomach lurch uncomfortably at the thought. That couldn't be true either though. She'd spent far more time closer to Gourry and he hadn't shown any symptoms. That and the fact that she herself was feeling a bit better made her think—hope, really—that she was wrong.

"Miss Lina . . . you're . . . hurting . . . me."

"Huh?" Lina blinked in surprise. She was still striking Amelia, but in her worry, she'd intensified her blows to the point that the poor girl was rocking back and forth with every strike. She still wore a pained expression, but thankfully, it seemed to be more from Lina's expert medical attention than any health problems.

Breathing a quick sigh of relief, Lina ceased her beating and hastily shoved the rucksack into Amelia's arms. "Carry this and head that way," she instructed, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at the dubious safety of the trees. Fixing Jillas with a withering glare, she added, "And keep your fox out of trouble." She was slightly mollified to see him squirm uncomfortably under her gaze.

"What's going on?" Amelia asked as she snatched up her blanket and shoved it into the sack.

Lina glanced at Gourry; she was a bit frightened to see that he hadn't moved. She had the unsettling idea that he didn't even know what was going on.

"Miss Lina?"

Lina shook her head and turned back to Amelia. "I'll tell you later. Get going. We'll be right behind you."

Amelia opened her mouth, closed it again, apparently trying to decide whether to pursue the topic. A withering glare from Lina convinced her to wait. Without another word, she turned and darted off into the underbrush, her self-proclaimed servant right on her heels.

The quiet hiss of a blade being drawn sent shivers down Lina's spine and she glanced up to see Gourry leaning against a nearby tree a dagger held at the ready. He was gazing intently—almost predatorily—at the approaching light of a lantern. She didn't like the expression he wore in the slightest. "Hey," she called, "take it easy. It's just a farmer."

Gourry turned and fixed his piercing gaze on Lina for a moment.

"You know, just . . . don't hurt him, okay?" Lina muttered. She forced herself to keep her eyes locked on his as she spoke. He'd never really looked at her so . . . so _meanly_ until recently. She felt the first smoldering hint of anger stir within her. He'd had a rough couple of weeks, but it wasn't like it'd been a cakewalk for her either.

As if reading her thoughts, Gourry's expression softened and a faint hint of his old smile returned. He rubbed the back of his head and gave her a sheepish look. "Ah, I wasn't going to hurt him. I was just going to talk to him." The glint of firelight on the blade of his dagger negated any comfort his words might have given her.

Lina briefly considered ordering him to follow her into the safety of the woods, but what he said made sense. They were all heretics, but for some reason she, Amelia, and Zel were apparently being hunted far more strenuously than Gourry. She'd seen posters threatening execution for harboring them and he'd always been mentioned almost as an afterthought. He'd be safe. And even if he was recognized, he could easily overpower some yappy farmer.

"Put that fire out," Gourry instructed, suddenly becoming all business again. "I'd rather see him before he sees me."

Lina nodded and hurried to obey his instructions. She upended her waterskin on the fire. The flames hissed angrily, but quickly receded, especially once she began to stomp what little remained to ash.

She and Gourry stood there for a moment in the dark, listening as the baying hounds drew closer. Another minute and the farmer would be on top of them.

Sparing one last worried look at the dim silhouette of her protector, Lina turned and made her way off in the direction that Amelia and Jillas had fled. Just before she left the clearing, Gourry whispered her name. It wasn't really necessary to keep their voices down, as the noise from the dogs would almost certainly drown them out, but it seemed right, nonetheless.

"What?" she replied, pausing at the edge of the clearing. When he didn't immediately answer, she muttered something dark under her breath and growled, "What is it?" He was going to get her caught if he didn't hurry. She turned just in time to see a silhouette rise from behind the swordsman. She yelled his name and started forward.

Her movement must have betrayed her; a rough voice triumphantly bellowed, "I've got you!" There was a loud twang, a swoosh, and Lina felt a sudden pain in her right temple. The world spun sickeningly and she dropped to one knee. Shot. She'd been . . . Her vision pitched violently again and she abandoned all thought as her eyes slid shut.

* * *

"I've got you!" Ruun yelled as he pulled the trigger of his crossbow. A jolt ran up his arm and the immensely pleasing sound of a bolt being loosed from his crossbow drowned out the howls of the dogs for a split second. Somewhere ahead in the dark, a dark shape crumpled to the ground. 

Ruun barked harsh laughter and spurred the dogs on with words of encouragement. The fact that he might have just committed murder never crossed his mind. They way he saw things, a man had what he had only as long as he had the guts to defend it. And he'd much rather take care of his own chicken thieves than wait for a worthless soldier to pull his head out of his ass long enough to listen to his problem.

This morning marked the third in a row that he'd risen to find chickens missing. Last night, he'd been awoken by worried whines of his dogs and made it outside just in time to see a shadowy form disappear into the darkness of the forest bordering the farm. And lo and behold, he was missing another pair of chickens. As if that wasn't infuriating enough, he'd had to drag his pair of mutts out from under the porch. They'd been tucked so far back that he wouldn't have even noticed them, had they not been whimpering. When he'd finally gotten them out, he'd been pretty well covered from head to toe in dirt and been scratched up on top of that. He'd given the dogs a stern talking to (he gave them food and shelter; the least they could do was protect his property) and resolved to catch the thief in the act tonight.

Things had gone as planned; he'd hidden himself in the carrot patch, loaded crossbow at the ready, despite his son's insistence that he was out of his mind. A few hours after dark, the chicken thief had shown up, just as expected. Well, not quite as expected. Ruun hadn't even seen the man at first; the first indication that he wasn't alone was aural. It was too late in the season for crickets, but the night still had its voice: the sporadic hooting of owls, the occasional growl of his dogs, and the whisper of the wind in the trees.

He'd laid there, feeling the cold mud cling to him, and gradually come to the realization that the night had fallen silent. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and suppressed a shiver. Something about the farm felt totally off kilter. Normally benign things—the occasional bale of hay, the scarecrow a dozen feet away—looked far more sinister than he remembered.

Despite his vigilance, Ruun didn't even see the thief until the intruder was almost on top of him. He'd just turned to look at the rows of corn standing a dozen feet away and the figure had just been looming there. The thief hadn't even made any sound, despite the fact that he must have emerged from the dry stalks.

Ruun's breath had caught in his throat and he could only stare, wide eyed, as the thief lumbered across the field directly towards him. His crossbow lay beside him, totally forgotten.

The thief moved gracelessly, seeming to stumble with every second step and not caring a bit about stealth. There was a raspy noise that Ruun quickly realized was the sound of the intruder breathing. Sadly, or luckily as the case may be, he couldn't see the man's features; they were concealed under the hood of a pale cloak.

Something about the intruder set Ruun on edge, and he cringed. In doing so, he brushed against the stock of his crossbow with his elbow. There was a rustle, horribly loud in the silence.

The intruder's most recent hiss was cut off suddenly and it slowly turned its head, as if looking for something. It stood less than ten feet away and Ruun found himself thanking Ceiphied that it was a new moon. He lay perfectly still and for the first time in years, he prayed. He felt the intruder's eyes roam over him as and barely suppressed the desire to leap to his feet and flee.

And then a chicken had clucked. The thief's head snapped back around, its attention focused on the chicken coop again. Uttering a little shriek that sounded to Ruun like a disgustingly joyous noise, it lurched into motion with frightening speed. It stepped up onto the flimsy fence surrounding the hutch and the wood splintered with a loud crack.

Somehow, that sound, followed quickly by the frantic clucking of a dozen terrified chickens, drove away all the fear Ruun had been feeling. This man was destroying _his_ property! He leapt to his feet, crossbow at the ready and bellowed, "Hey!"

The intruder dropped the bird he'd been holding and turned just in time to catch a bolt in the chest. He doubled over and uttered a strangled howl . . . and then turned and bolted in the direction of the forest at top speed.

"What the hell . . .? Ruun muttered as he watched the thief disappear into the trees. He could have sworn that he'd hit him. He _knew_ that he'd hit him. He hadn't been decorated for marksmanship in the army for nothing. But the intruder was fleeing all the same.

He bellowed for his hounds, Guts and Glory, and the chase was on. There was one brief moment when the dogs had differing opinions on which way to go—Guts had wanted to continue on the main trail with Glory wanting to break off to the right—but Ruun had waved a dead chicken in front of their faces to remind them what they were looking for and they were off again, plunging headlong into the darkness.

And now he'd caught the thief. Well, caught, killed, whatever. It was all good. His breath coming in ragged gasps by this point—he wasn't as young as he used to be—he moved into the clearing closing the distance between himself and the fallen shape. There was a wet crack and he looked down to find himself standing in the remains of a very recently extinguished campfire.

A traveler then? His brow furrowed in thought, he stopped at the base of the tree and looked down at the fallen form. The first niggling idea that he'd made a mistake flashed across his mind; this person was smaller than the man he'd been pursuing. Another oddity presented itself; why would the thief be camping out in the woods for several nights in a row? All for a few chickens? It made no sense.

Feeling more and more certain that he'd made a horrible mistake, he dropped to one knee and laid his crossbow on the ground beside him. He then gingerly reached out to touch the still form. Ruun glanced up at the sky and cursed the darkness that had just saved him a few minutes before. He couldn't see a damn thing. His fingertips found warm skin. A slender throat, a smooth face wet with what he assumed was blood, and long thick hair told him that this was a woman and most certainly not the person who'd just been menacing his chickens. He frowned as he moved back down to her throat. A pulse. She was alive then. He must have only nicked her with his shot.

The dogs whined nervously and crowded around Ruun, licking his face nervously. He shoved them away with a grunt of annoyance. Stupid animals. They backed away from him with their tails tucked between their legs. A moment later, they bolted, moving with speed that he didn't even know they were capable of. They didn't even move that fast when he called them for dinner.

A loud hiss of indrawn breath drew Ruun's attention back to his current situation. He wasn't alone in the dark anymore. Realizing it was already too late, Ruun snatched up his crossbow and lunged to his feet. Hands flew instinctively across the weapon—drawing the string, loading the bolt. It took all of five seconds, but it felt like an eternity. He felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach as he turned and drew it up to eye level. If only he'd been paying attention.

The air was suddenly driven forcefully from his lungs. An instant later, he felt a strange sensation, like ice in his chest. He uttered a strangled and wet sounding gasp for air. Muscular arms suddenly had no strength and Ruun felt the comforting weight of the crossbow tumble free of numb fingers. His legs gave out and he dropped heavily to his knees.

Ruun had never been one to give up. Ever since he was a child, he'd fought on to the end, even against the harshest of odds. It'd caused many a headache for his parents when he'd constantly come home with bruises and a bloodied nose. Just because he was on the verge of dying—he could feel blood flowing from the wound in his chest—didn't mean that his philosophy was any different. He meant to fight on. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his weapon, felt it slip out of bloody fingers and grabbed it again. If he was going down, then by Ceiphied he was taking his attacker with him.

A strong voice called out, "Light come forth," and Ruun found himself blinded by a crimson light that rivaled the intensity of the sun itself. A moment later, he toppled over, quite dead.

* * *

The first thing Gourry understood upon regaining consciousness was that his head hurt. Scratch that; "hurt" didn't do the injury justice. This was a sick throbbing that made it almost impossible to concentrate. His arms trembling violently with exertion, he shoved himself up to a kneeling position and shook his head. What happened? Lina had called out to him; he remembered that much. And he'd been struck. But, that couldn't be right. The farmer had still been a dozen yards away. He'd seen the man's silhouette. 

Lina was down. Well, he couldn't be sure it was her—it was impossible to make out details in the moonless night—but the form was laying at the base of the tree where she'd been standing before. That was proof enough for him. And whoever or whatever was looming over her was an unknown factor.

Gourry shifted from fear to anger in the blink of an eye. He gripped the hilt of his dagger with such intensity that it was a wonder that it didn't buckle under the pressure. Whoever it was meant to hurt, or had already hurt, Lina. They were going to take Lina away from him, just as his family had been taken.

Before he even knew what he was doing, Gourry was on his feet, running forward silently, blade held at the ready. Leaping forward, he thrust the blade into the shape and was rewarded by a rush of warm wetness over his hand.

He didn't have time to celebrate, however. Feeling the dagger begin to pull away from his hand, he released it and leapt back; his foe was turning to face him. Steel met steel with a high-pitched screech and a brief flash of sparks. The next morning, Gourry would find a long angry line drawn across his breastplate.

Consumed with rage, Gourry's lips curled in an uncharacteristic snarl. His hand flew to the hilt of the Sword of Light. Before even landing properly from his retreat, he'd sprung forward again, drawing his weapon and calling out the words that would summon heat in physical form.

There was a moment of utter stillness in which Gourry held the empty hilt overhead. Instinctively, he knew that it wouldn't work; he was anything but calm and focused at the moment. Knowing that he might have lost her— she was so still—had his emotions roiling and churning about within him. He felt as if he might explode at any second.

In fact, there was an explosion, but it wasn't the swordsman. It was the Sword of Light, answering its master's very emphatic call. Heat erupted from the hilt, but instead of blade of pure light, it took a jagged form composed of an ugly crimson color that matched Gourry's feelings. The forest that had been dark a moment ago was suddenly bathed in bloody hues. The quiet, almost soothing hum that usually accompanied the blade was replaced by a sound not unlike a swarm of riled hornets. It was an angry sound that served to add fuel to the fire that was raging within the sword's master.

Gourry swept the blade downward in a deadly arc. Everything seemed to be moving at a fraction of its normal speed. He simultaneously heard and felt the long and meaty "thwack" of impact. The air was suddenly flooded with a sickly sweet odor: the scent of scorched flesh.

Time seemed to catch up with him after he finished his swing. The blade disappeared. He was exhausted. His hands felt as if they were aflame and he panted heavily, as if he'd been fighting for two hours instead of two seconds.

Then, his foe screamed in mingled pain and fury. It took all of Gourry's willpower not to drop the Sword of Light and clap his hands over his ears. Gritting his teeth, he flung his shoulder into the shape, knocking it aside. Without wasting a moment, he leaned forward, not even noticing another fallen form at his feet, and roughly grabbed Lina.

"Wha's goin' on?" she mumbled, sounding as if she didn't really care in the least what was going on. "Hey!" Apparently, she cared when Gourry snagged her arm and dragged her roughly to her feet.

"Let's go!" he growled, dragging her along behind him by the wrist as he plunged headlong into the underbrush. He was totally unaware of the tears that were streaming down his face as he charged into the unknown, his Lina in tow.

* * *

Although Jillas was moving at a rapid pace through the undergrowth—the fox flowed through nature with the ease of water passing through a sieve—Amelia had no trouble keeping up with him. The numerous times he'd paused in front of her, looking over his shoulder to see if he'd inadvertently lost her, she'd quickly motioned for him to keep on course, lest she run him down in her haste. 

There was no moon in the inky blackness overhead, turning the forest into a dangerous maze of invisible dangers. The world was awash in blackness. And although that was fine and dandy for an animal with night vision (even one who was missing an eye), it should have been trouble for her.

Except, it wasn't, Amelia realized as she nimbly stepped over a gnarled root that even Jillas had missed. Part of it was because she was naturally nimble—she made her living juggling daggers for goodness sake—but there was more to it than that. Miss Lina was nimble; so was Mister Gourry in a way. She was almost feline in her grace.

The darkness wasn't black to her; it was subtle variations of a flat gray. It looked like someone had stolen all the color and vibrancy from the world. That was an unsettling thought. Amelia took joy in the "colors" that life had to offer. Happiness, beauty, and kindness brought a smile to her face and to find herself trapped now in world that was so . . . so _clinical_,was frightening.

Caught up in her thoughts, Amelia did stumble, this time almost falling. She clumsily reached out and planted a hand on the ground to catch herself. The ankle she'd twisted a few days ago wobbled painfully beneath her—a none too subtle hint that she'd be better off concentrating on the here and now.

Cautiously, she gradually slowed her pace until she was standing motionless, chest heaving, and a stitch forming in her side. Why were they running anyway? Miss Lina had said something about trouble, but she couldn't hear or see anything. Maybe they'd lost their pursuers? She shot her self-proclaimed servant a questioning look and shrugged, silently asking his opinion on the situation.

Jillas's nostrils flared in the dark (why could she see that?) as he scented the crisp night air. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he looked back at her and hesitantly nodded.

That was good enough for Amelia. She dropped the heavy bag Miss Lina had thrust upon her with a sigh of relief. She plopped down beside it gracelessly and took a moment to catch her breath and think.

"What happened back there?" she asked with a bewildered shake of her head. She ran her fingers through unkempt hair, shoving it out of her face with a huff of annoyance.

Apparently mistaking her annoyance at the situation as being directed at him, Jillas grimaced and said, "Chickens."

Amelia blinked in bewilderment. "Say that again?"

"We're in trouble 'cause o' th' chickens," he elaborated. Somehow the explanation didn't help much, instead serving to increase Amelia's confusion.

Nibbling her lower lip thoughtfully, Amelia considered the fox's words. Finally, she took a deep breath and voiced the only logical conclusion.

"We're being chased by chickens?" she ventured, disbelief apparent in her voice.

Amelia glanced around incredulously. Although it seemed rather strange that they were being pursued by something as innocuous as poultry, stranger things had happened. She'd just spent a week in a village of ghosts for one thing. And if there was one thing she'd learned from her years in the circus, it was, "Don't underestimate animals." She recalled the incident where she'd teased a tiger as a child and the terrible results.

Thinking of the tiger made her think of Zelgadis. He'd known all about her most private memories and even now she shared some sort of strange bond with him. It'd faded recently, although she suspected that it was more due to distance than elapsed time. She could still hear his thoughts, but they were quiet and felt almost like an echo—feelings that had reverberated many times over before finally reaching her. Occasionally, she'd receive a strong sensation from him as clearly as if he were standing next to her.

Unconsciously, she moved her hand up until it hovered over her heart. The phantom pain from a few minutes ago briefly returned and she wondered if it had anything to do with Zelgadis. Amelia frowned. She didn't want to think about him right now. She was conflicted about her feelings for him.

It'd hurt when he left—like losing a part of herself. She knew that he could feel her pain, but he hadn't come back. That had angered her a lot more than she'd let on to the others. Inwardly, she'd seethed at him and imagined (with no small amount of satisfaction) his squirming at her mental harangue. Who did he think he was, running off on his own like that? It was incredibly selfish of him and darn it he was going to know it!

However, the more she'd thought about it—the glimpses she caught of his thoughts—had helped her understand that he hadn't left out of self interest; not entirely anyway. He'd gone out of fear for her and the others. She found herself sympathizing with him, even if she thought his actions were a mistake. It just made sense to her that it'd be easier to face your problems with your friends by your side. Two heads were better than one, right? Even Gourry could offer new insight into a situation when he really thought about it.

Still, she assumed that there was some reason that he thought that his demons had to be faced alone. And as much as it hurt that he didn't trust her enough to share his burden, it was his choice to make.

Confident that things were somehow going to turn out okay (and further reassured by the comforting lack of poultry in hot pursuit), Amelia thought Zelgadis an honest "Good luck" and laid down on the ground. Using the rucksack as a makeshift pillow, she found a comfortable position in the grass and gazed at the stars above. There wasn't much to do, other than wait for Miss Lina to catch up . . .

Despite the excitement she'd just been through, between the serene surroundings and the comforting sound of Jillas tirelessly walking in a perimeter around her, Amelia found herself drifting away into her memories and recalling a dream that'd almost been lost in the excitement of the evening.

* * *

"Gourry? Gourry, what happened!" 

If her protector heard Lina's words, he chose to ignore them; if anything, he increased his speed, apparently assuming that if she could string three semi-coherent words together, she was just _asking_ to run a marathon.

Lina grimaced in pain as she barked her shin against an exposed root. Gourry didn't slacken his pace in the slightest. Enough was enough, she decided. It felt as if someone were slamming a hammer into her right temple with every heartbeat, she was tired, Gourry was being an ass, and now her stupid leg was protesting too.

Gritting her teeth angrily, she dug in her heels and although she wasn't able to stop him, she did manage to slow his pace to the point of annoyance. His reaction was as unexpected as it was violent.

Gourry turned and fixed her with a furious glare. He snarled something that might have been a "C'mon" and gave her arm a vicious jerk, almost yanking her off her feet.

That did it. _Nobody_ treated Lina Inverse, Slayer extraordinaire, like a mongrel on a leash. Even if it was someone she happened to care for. She twisted her arm, pulling up and away from Gourry, while simultaneously digging into a nerve on his forearm with the index finger of her free hand; she didn't envy how his arm was going to feel for the next hour or so. A hiss of pain and a sudden slackening of his grip rewarded her efforts. She was free.

No longer dragging her behind him, Gourry whirled around to face Lina. Judging by the growling noise he made, it was safe to assume that he was pretty angry at the moment.

Lina instinctively pulled back, dropping into a defensive stance. If he lunged at her again, she'd be ready for him. Her hand stole to the hilt of her sword of its own accord as she considered her foe. He was holding the Sword of Light. There was no telling if he could use it—he hadn't been able to back in the village—but for safety's sake she'd have to assume that it was a factor. Gourry was easily the superior swordsman, but he was angry too. If she could somehow capitalize on that and lull him into making a mistake . . .

Luna's silver bladed sword was half drawn before she understood what she was contemplating; she was ready to do battle with Gourry.

The incredulity of her actions hit her in the same moment as the terror. She might have hurt him—might have _killed_ him—if she hadn't realized what she was doing. She took in a deep breath and forced herself to sheath her blade. Her sword arm seemed reluctant to obey and she hesitated for just an instant before sliding the weapon home with a subtle "click".

That simple noise totally disarmed the situation. Lina slumped against a nearby tree, her energy suddenly gone. At the same moment, Gourry began to sob and unceremoniously sat down on the ground. His long legs were sprawled and he covered his eyes with his hand.

Lina had the strange feeling that she was suddenly looking at the world's largest child. Cautiously, she approached, making sure to give him a wide berth as she moved around to his side. Then, compassion got the better of caution and with two quick steps she moved to his side. She dropped to her knees and flung her arms around his neck. She sighed sadly, laying her head on his shoulder. His long blond hair tickled her face, but she couldn't remember a time that she'd felt less like laughing.

He reached up to touch her arm and Lina stifled a little gasp of surprise when she felt cold metal instead of soft skin. She turned a bit and found herself staring at the empty hilt of the Sword of Light. If he were so inclined, Gourry could say the words and she'd die.

She grimaced and laid her hand over his, gently guiding the weapon downwards so that it pointed in a less lethal direction. Somewhat surprisingly, she met little resistance in her efforts. Lina felt the muscles in his forearm tense for just a moment before going totally limp. His hand dropped into his lap lifelessly.

At that moment, Lina realized she'd been holding her breath for the last thirty seconds or so. She released it with an explosive sigh and nuzzled Gourry's neck, planting small kisses there that, under normal circumstances, would have elicited a laugh; she wasn't the only one who was ticklish.

It was like kissing a wall. Gourry's sobs from before had evened out a bit, but that could just as well be exhaustion as her efforts to comfort him. She wondered if he even knew that she was there. For that matter, she wondered if he even knew he was there or what was going on. He'd been so out of it lately—and it was getting worse. She found herself again considering the unpleasant possibility that he was cracking up; Gourry was strong, but there was only so much a person could take before snapping.

Lina shook her head stubbornly, and clung more tightly to her wounded swordsman, as if she could make such thoughts untrue by virtue of her own obstinance. She gritted her teeth and held him close as he struggled to work his way through what was seemingly an endless well of despair. It was all she could do.

* * *

Amelia watched with a sort of detached interest as a pair of hands worked their way up a wall in front of her. The surface beneath the fingers—her fingers, she corrected as she could feel the cool rough texture of the stone—opened up as if by magic, revealing handholds that were invisible to the naked eye. She must be very good at this! 

Pleased that she was making such excellent progress, Amelia suddenly wondered where she was climbing anyway. She felt a little silly; here she was patting herself on the back for an accomplishment she didn't even know the reason for. Curious, she glanced around at her surroundings. The stone stretched on as far as the eye could see on either side of her, dipping and swelling occasionally like a series of waves frozen in time. Above, she could barely make out the faint, yet oh so inviting glow of a light. This was her goal, she understood immediately. She'd felt a surge of relief to see it so close.

Her joy faded in an instant when she looked down. There was nothing below her, save yawning darkness. She flinched and lost her grip momentarily. There was a sickening moment of weightlessness before nails found stone again. She dug in reflexively and felt rock give like soft clay beneath her fingers. She hugged the cliff face tightly, laying her cheek against the wall while she tried to catch her breath.

Stupid. She felt angry at herself all of a sudden; this was her element. How often had she done the high wire act back at the circus? Well, not _too_ often—Uncle Christopher had been a bit leery of letting her work up there after the incident with the knives and cotton candy—but still . . .

Amelia cursed, long, loud, and extremely vulgarly. That was pretty strange in and of itself, but what really shocked her was the fact that she sounded so _masculine_ when she did so.

Surprise faded at the same moment that realization struck. They weren't her hands and it wasn't her voice. Amelia was having one of her jarring visits with Zelgadis. She barely resisted the urge to smack her forehead. That would have been a bad move, given the circumstances. You'd think that as often as it happened, she'd learn to be ready for it, but for some inexplicable reason, it was always a surprise to find herself "visiting" him.

She was a moment away from greeting him when she paused. What was she going to say? "Hi, how are you?" Or maybe, "I miss you." Heck, even, "Why'd you leave, you big jerk?" had its unique charm. On the other hand, considering that he'd almost slipped while she was mulling it over, now might not be the best time for chitchat.

Trying to quiet her thoughts, Amelia sat back and made herself comfortable (well, as comfortable as a disembodied visitor in someone else's head could be) and watched.

Zelgadis held himself against the cliff face for a moment longer, and Amelia could feel him reaching out, perhaps trying to find her. She didn't break her silence and his attention soon returned to the task at hand.

If she'd thought his climbing technique was impressive before, there were no words to describe what he was doing now. He moved swiftly and confidently, hardly even looking before putting his hand down. There was always a handhold. She also noticed a quiet rustling sound that moved in time with Zelgadis. He had his wings pressed against the wall. She assumed it was because he hadn't wanted to be pulled free of his perch by a sudden gust of wind. It was very blustery this high up. That also explained why he hadn't just flown. He wasn't really experienced just yet and would as likely as not have been dashed against the rocks by the treacherous gusts. She also suspected that he didn't really _like_ flying for some reason. She didn't know why. She thought it was pretty cool, herself.

A quiet clicking sound compelled Amelia to take a closer look at Zelgadis's wings. When she found the source of the noise, she recoiled in revulsion. His wings had sprouted ugly little fingers tipped by small black claws. They wiggled spasmodically, as if they weren't quite under his control just yet. The clicking she'd heard came when the talons occasionally tapped against the cliff face.

Zelgadis was still changing then.

Amelia turned away from the grotesque display. She found that she didn't want to watch him climb anymore. Thankfully, it lasted only a few moments more; Zelgadis's speed was frightening. He reached the top of the wall and covered the last dozen feet in a single bound.

A few feet away, a small cottage stood. It was an impressive bit of workmanship—not because it was physically impressive, but because Amelia honestly couldn't tell how it stood under its own weight. There were gaps in the walls and even in the dark, she could make out large open areas in the thatched roof. If not for the light flickering behind the shutters and the inviting plume of smoke from the largest hole in the roof, she would have assumed the house long abandoned.

Zelgadis wasted no time in moving towards the door. Amelia was momentarily worried—as much as she wanted him to be out of the cold, she didn't know if it was wise for him to intrude on strangers. The sound of cheerful laughter reached her ears and she breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever owned that voice was a kind soul. She could feel it. They wouldn't hurt Zelgadis.

Her feelings of relief made what happened next even more impossible to believe. Zelgadis didn't knock on the door. Instead, he thrust his fingers into the wood and with no effort whatsoever opened it as he would a curtain; the portal cracked loudly as he folded it up.

The next few moments were a blur. All Amelia could tell for sure was that Zelgadis was moving incredibly quickly and that the laughter she'd heard before had turned to screams. There was a flash as firelight reflected off cold steel and his sword was suddenly buried to the hilt in some poor soul's belly. He twisted his wrist and pulled to the side, all but cutting the person in half as he removed his blade. He quickly pivoted and with a quick flick of his wrist, separated another hapless victim's head from their body. A sheet of blood spurted from the stump of the neck and seemed to hang in the air, turning the atmosphere of the room as bloody as the deeds being performed.

"What are you doing!" Amelia shrieked as realization finally struck. She willed Zelgadis to stop—performed the mental equivalent of digging in her heels to slow him down. It did no good; he continued on, whipping his blade high in the air before bringing it crashing down on another victim's shoulder. She could feel the impact of steel on bone run up her arm. It was utterly sickening and she fought against the urge to retch.

Again, blood fanned from the wound and pooled in the air, adding another sheet of crimson to the room. And still Zelgadis showed no signs of slowing.

Tears stung her eyes and Amelia understood that she was crying; she was making Zelgadis cry. But, if she could affect him in that way, why couldn't she make him stop? "Please, Mister Zelgadis," she pleaded, unconsciously slipping into old honorifics, "you have to stop."

Then, the impossible happened; Zelgadis paused, his head cocked thoughtfully. And then, miraculously, he sheathed his sword. He was listening to her!

"That's right, Mister Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed. "You don't have to do this! Just stay calm and . . ." Amelia trailed off. And what? He'd done so many horrible things, but somehow, she knew she could help him. It wasn't his fault. It was whatever was tormenting him now. Somehow, she would make this right.

Zelgadis knelt down and peered under a nearby table. Cowering beneath it was a young girl, no older than Amelia and very fair. Pretty brown eyes stared out at Zelgadis from under chestnut bangs. There was fear written on her face, a very alien expression, Amelia thought. This one was very compassionate normally. She knew because, in a way, it was like seeing herself. Despite the fear she must have been feeling, she didn't cry or plead. She was a strong one.

A grin crossed Zelgadis's face and he extended a taloned hand towards the girl. Had Amelia been in her own body, she would have been holding her breath. She watched as he traced the line of her jaw with one dark nail. Then he reached up to brush dark hair out of the girl's face, showing amazing gentleness.

Amelia would have hugged him if she could. He was doing it. He was beating his demons.

Zelgadis threw his head back and laughed. He lunged forward, palming the girl's face and squeezing.

"No!" Amelia screamed, even as she felt the girl's skull give under Zelgadis's grip. It cracked loudly and she could feel the jab of bone shards combined with warm wetness on her palm. He'd just killed that girl. He'd killed her for no reason other than his own amusement. He swept his hand back, trailing blood that hung in the air and upending the table.

Amelia stared at the floor, unable to bear the thought of seeing that ruin of a face. It wasn't much better looking down however; instead of seeing the blood, she witnessed the spastic drumming of the girl's feet on the wooden floor—the last actions of a confused body that didn't know it was dead.

Zelgadis stood and Amelia shrieked a sound of hopeless despair. The room was full of people—beautiful, kindhearted people bearing the face of the girl he'd just killed. She felt his hand tighten around the grip of his sword, heard the murderous hiss as the blade was drawn, and knew that the slaughter was about to begin again.

It was intolerable and even Amelia had her limits of compassion. She curled up in a dark corner of his mind and quietly wept, no longer caring about what was happening outside, but just wanting it to stop. Even though she tried to block it out, she sensed everything—Zelgadis cutting or tearing and the blood flowing into a shimmering sheet of death. The cottage, seemingly so small on the outside, had become the size of a palace within and contained what seemed to be an infinite number of victims. And even though she didn't see, she could still hear the screams and gurgles of the dying, smell death in the air, and feel the featherlike, yet horrible, sensation of droplets of blood striking Zelgadis's face.

Even as she whispered a heartfelt prayer for the poor people, she became aware that the sensations of carnage were fading, as if Zelgadis was moving off into the distance. That didn't make sense though. She was trapped in him, wasn't she? Cautiously, Amelia opened one eye, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer.

She wasn't in the cottage anymore and Zelgadis was nowhere to be seen. Evidence of his presence was all around however; wave after wave of undulating crimson stretched out as far as the eye could see in all directions, even above and below—evidence of horrible suffering and pain. She was floating, naked and utterly alone, in an ugly world of red. Amelia's vision blurred slightly as her eyes welled up with tears. It was a sad and hopeless sight.

The nearest wave of red, no more than two feet away from her, rustled quietly as it reached out to touch her. She instinctively recoiled despite the fact that she had nowhere to go. It brushed against her face, as gentle and soft as silk. Her tears were wiped away and instead of fear, she felt a profound sense of comfort as the fabric (she knew it was blood, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to believe it) swirled about her, encircling her throat first, but quickly spiraling downward about her until it was snug about her hips. The sensation was surprisingly gentle. Somehow, it reminded her of Zelgadis. Or rather, she thought, turning almost as scarlet as the cloth, it reminded her of how she _imagined_ Zelgadis—wild fantasies (wild to her inexperienced mind in any case) about how he'd touch her.

Thankfully, she didn't have time to dwell on such embarrassing thoughts; even as it bound itself to her, Amelia could sense a profound change in the blood silk. Where the gossamer had touched her face and now rested against her skin, it paled—first shifting to a bright shade of pink, but eventually shirking even this level of corruption to become a shade of most brilliant white samite.

A ripple passed through the surrounding crimson, seeming to radiate outward from her position. The undulating color drew back, giving her some much-appreciated space. In doing so, it revealed flashes of Zelgadis's handiwork. A ripple here exposed a pair of agony-ridden eyes, there a severed limb.

But, Amelia saw none of this. Her attention was focused on the form that had emerged before her: Zelgadis was kneeling before her, one hand resting on a floor that wasn't there to support his weight. His face was caked with gore, and it was obvious that not all of it was from his enemies. One of his wings hung askew on his back, dangling by a narrow string of meat; it twitched spastically, but with diminishing intensity. It'd most likely never heal. Blood flowed freely from several large gashes marring his body. His garments were identical to Amelia's, but if anything, they were an even darker hue than the surrounding area, actually bordering on maroon.

Zelgadis's attire moved over exposed flesh, soaking up blood where it touched him. It paused over an open wound on his arm. The fabric began to undulate grotesquely, bringing an image of a bloated leech to Amelia's mind. It was feeding on his pain and suffering and adding to it at the same time; she could see the cut he'd suffered widening under its none too gentle ministrations.

Amelia called his name in alarm as she started forward. She'd mouthed it and felt the expulsion of air from her lungs. However, their surroundings cruelly covered the anxious yell with rustling whispers. She hadn't even heard herself speak and was sure that he hadn't either.

Even if Zelgadis couldn't hear her concern, he could still feel it. Amelia dropped to her knees before him and gently cupped his chin in her palm. She tilted his face up until they were gazing into one another's eyes. Behind the gore matted hair and blood streaked face, something dark and ugly stared out at her. His eyes, once a beautiful shade of blue, were dark and slitted—more fitting for a cat than a human. His lips curled in a noiseless snarl, revealing pointy canines.

Unafraid, Amelia smiled at him and gently stroked his cheek with her thumb. The blood on his face dried in an instant and flaked off, revealing pale skin underneath. She traced the line of his jaw with her fingertip and watched in wonderment as the stain of corruption retreated from her touch. She was helping him. She felt a giddy sense of elation at that revelation. She could save Zelgadis!

The fierce look on his face was replaced with serenity. He fell forward into her arms and that seemed to complete the effect. The gore shot away from his skin, revealing smooth toned muscles beneath. His wings twitched momentarily before crumbling to ash and his more bestial features quickly followed suit. His feral eyes glazed over with a milky white haze and Amelia found herself worrying that she'd somehow blinded Zelgadis. The film quickly receded to reveal a familiar and much beloved blue. Claws that had been digging into her back when he embraced her a moment ago were gone. She knew that if she'd been able to see his hands, she'd have found normal fingernails very much like hers.

But, the most wonderful thing—the thing that made her heart swell with elation—was his smile. It was normal. He no longer possessed the exaggerated canines that he'd had as long as she'd known him.

Their surroundings shied away, as if offended by Amelia's happiness. Many of them didn't retreat fast enough, however; some that had strayed to close to Zelgadis in their eagerness to feed were touched by her influence—were cleansed. The brilliance leapt from wave to wave like lightning moving between clouds. Soon, a gently flowing field of red and white filled her vision.

Judging by Zelgadis's widening smile, the cloth wasn't the only thing she'd touched with her joy. He rose to his feet never loosing his hold upon her. He pulled her close and she felt heat in her cheeks. There was nothing between their bodies save the sheerest of materials; every feature of his form was sensuously apparent. She felt as if she were on fire. Every point of contact brought an amazing feeling of heat and energy. The feathery touch of his fingers running up her spine sent tremors through her body.

There was a caress, little more than a whisper, and her gossamer shift fell in a pile at her feet. Amelia drew back from Zelgadis and gazed at him, taking in every detail of his expression. She so rarely saw him smile; that in itself was a small miracle. She reached up to caress his face, but he caught her hand in his own before she could make contact.

Zelgadis pulled it close and kissed her palm. His lips were warm and gentle, totally opposite the coolness he usually displayed. This act of affection complete, he released her, allowing her to complete her original course. Her fingertips found pale flesh and dark hair as soft as silk.

Laying her other hand upon his shoulder, she looked into his eyes again and found a wild look there that matched her own feelings. A moment of fumbling later, his clothing fell away to mingle with hers at their feet.

Even as he pulled her towards him, she moved of her own accord and they met in a passionate kiss. Amelia moaned as she closed her eyes and fully gave herself over to the moment and to him.

She thrilled as she felt his hands roam over her body and she responded in kind, running her fingers through his long hair—very long it seemed, as it extended midway down his back—tracing the curves of his decidedly petit form, cupping decidedly feminine breasts . . .

Amelia's eyes flew open and she gasped in surprise. "Miss Lina!"

While she'd been holding Zelgadis a moment ago, now she shared his body again. And in her place, Lina stood, wearing a cruel smirk that Amelia had never seen cross her face before. It was a predatory look, full of malice and hatred.

The red and white had closed in around them again and with good reason; every sheet tapered to the breadth of a strand of hair—_was_ a strand of Miss Lina's hair. Somehow, ugly gray had replaced the beautiful waves of white that Amelia had created.

Lina's lips twisted in a sardonic little half-frown. "Poor little girl," she sighed, "don't you know? Once a monster, always a monster." She leaned forward and pecked Amelia on the lips.

The transformation was as violent as it was quick. Wings exploded from Zelgadis's back, bearing chunks of his skin and flesh to mark their rebirth. There was a swift series of pops and niggling aches as his fingers reshaped themselves into claws.

The redhead shook her head ruefully. "A Slayer does not suffer a creature of darkness to exist. It's one of the first rules of the credo. I _told_ you that, Amelia. Have you listened to a thing that I've taught you?" Her tone positively dripped with superciliousness.

Amelia shook her head and opened her mouth to protest, but instead of words, she vomited up a gout of blood. There was an unpleasant sensation of pressure in her chest. She looked down to see that Lina had effortlessly slipped a stake into Zelgadis's heart. There was a crack—Zelgadis's ribs splintering—as Lina twisted, driving the wooden shaft deeper.

"No!" Amelia yelled in Zelgadis's voice. Or rather, she would have yelled, if she could catch her breath. What actually came out was a wet croak. She shoved Lina away and turned to run. If Miss Lina could just see what he could be with just a little help, she'd understand. Amelia could save him! She _had_ saved him!

Her retreat was a sad thing to watch; she staggered a few steps on rapidly weakening legs before listing to the side and collapsing. She lay on her back, her breath coming in weak gasps, as Lina approached. A fresh torrent of blood welled up around the haft of the stake and Amelia gritted her teeth as she felt Zelgadis's dying heart spasm violently.

Even then, she wasn't ready to give up. Exerting every ounce of willpower she possessed, she willed his limbs to move, to pull the stake from his body. The fingers of Zelgadis's left hand twitched, but that was probably more a reflex action than a result of her efforts.

And then, Lina was there. She knelt down and seized Amelia's shoulders, shaking her insistently, all the while yipping, "Boss, ye got t' get up!" in a surprisingly animalistic and masculine tone.

Amelia screamed and sat up with a start. Realizing she was in control of herself again, she lashed out instinctively, meaning to defend herself—defend Zelgadis—to the best of her ability.

Another yell split the air, but this time it was that of her poor servant; Jillas's nose had just suffered its second beating in just under an hour.

"Ooh, I'm sorry, Mister Jillas!" Amelia hastily scrambled to her feet and moved to her injured servant's side. "Is it bad?" Thankfully, the dream could be shoved aside for the moment. She didn't really want to ponder it just yet.

Jillas gave a quick shake of his head. "No, Miss. It was jus' a small . . ." He trailed off, apparently remembering why he'd been trying to wake her to begin with. "We 'ave t' leave, Miss," he said in a low whisper. His ears were laid low against his skull as he glanced around. "We 'ave t' go, right now."

A sick feeling of dread washed over Amelia, and she put a hand on his shoulder, as much to support herself as reassure him. "Mister Jillas . . . is . . ." she swallowed hard and continued, " . . . are the chickens back?" The fox's expression of frightened befuddlement was answer enough. Without another word, she seized his arm and darted off into the woods.

Had she looked over her shoulder, she would have seen something enter the other side of the clearing just as she'd left—something decidedly non-poultry. However, it would have been anything but reassuring.

A figure, clad in an ugly brown cloak, stood where she'd lain a moment before.

* * *

Keith coughed and waved his hand in front of his face in a vain attempt to dispel the haze that had settled over the room. He squinted at the man seated across the table from him, but in the gloom, all he could really discern was that his companion was quite large, with broad shoulders and a long mane of hair. 

The stranger took a long drag on his cigar and expelled a copious amount of smoke from his nostrils, creating the illusion that he was a dragon belching fire. He flicked a bit of ash on the dirt floor and leaned back in his chair. The wood groaned in protest beneath him and Keith prayed that it wouldn't give out. Not so much because he was worried about the furniture, but because he wasn't particularly eager to see the man's anger.

Suppressing a shudder, Keith said, "Anyway, he's been missing for several hours now and I know the old fool's gone and gotten himself in trouble." He scrunched up his nose in disgust as he struggled to ignore the sickening stench of cigar smoke. It was a struggle that he had no chance of winning.

Just as before, there was a quiet hiss as the other man inhaled, and then a fresh cloud of smoke. Cold calculating eyes momentarily shone in the feeble light of his cigar.

Keith fidgeted momentarily under that gaze before deciding to go on. "I woke up about an hour ago. The old fool was yelling his head off. I ran outside to check—thought he'd gone and shot himself in the foot or something—and he was running off."

"Towards the woods," his companion finally replied in a deep voice. It wasn't a question.

"Into the cornfield," Keith corrected. "He might have been heading for the woods though. I lost sight of him after that."

"And you didn't follow."

Keith squirmed in his seat under the man's intense gaze. "It was dark. He took the dogs and by the time I could have gotten another lantern from in the house, he would've been gone anyway." Although these were perfectly valid reasons, he found himself feeling guilty—almost as if he were a child again and feeding his father some stupid excuse as to why he couldn't work in the field that day.

Taking a final puff of his cigar, the man stood, drawing himself up to his full height. Keith remained seated, but doubted that the top of his head would have even reached the other man's wide jaw.

The guy was intimidating, but Keith wasn't complaining. It was a stroke of luck that he'd found a SCG patrolman. Sairaag was two days away and although the guard patrolled the countryside around the city, it was exceedingly rare to see them this far out. Better that they hunt through the forest than him in the dead of night, right?

The guardsman was staring at him, his head cocked to the side thoughtfully. Finally, apparently bored of seeing Keith squirm, he stubbed the remains of his cigar out on the corner of the table before standing. Producing another from within his coat, he growled, "We'll find your old man. All in a days work of serving and protecting, after all." With frightening speed, he leaned forward and seized Keith's hand. He smiled wickedly and gave it a vigorous shake.

Actually, "vigorous" was something of an understatement. Keith found himself seriously wondering if the guard meant to yank his arm out of its socket. Somehow, he managed to get out a "Thank you, Mister . . .?" He was grateful that the shaking stopped immediately after that. His grip, however, only seemed to tighten.

"Gaav," came the crimson haired giant's reply, "_Captain _Gaav."

* * *

Next chapter: Lina's group is scattered and Gourry's all but helpless. And with Gaav on their trail, things are looking dire. However, events on the horizon may turn hunter and fugitive alike into prey. 

Notes: First off, I'd like to say that I'm really, really, _really_ sorry about the stupidly long delay on this chapter. Let's just say that life, writer's block, and a nasty case of reality struck all at once.

This isn't the first iteration of this chapter. I actually had another 60 pages of material done about 3 months ago that I threw out. With good reason though—I almost threw my hands up and gave up with the story while I was struggling through it.

Anyway, for those of you who are still reading, I thank you and for those of you who are still reading _and_ remember what's going on, I say, "What's wrong with you? Get a life!" I'm only joking! Don't throw anything at me!

Thank you very much to Kaitrin and Ichiban Victory for their help with the chapter.

And a very special thanks to my Sis. Without her encouragement and kind words, I almost certainly would have left this story behind and never looked back. Love ya, Sis, and I hope you liked your scene.

Reviewer response:

Muffles, it was pretty stupid of Zel to leave, but at least they're still together . . . kinda . . . sorta . . . right?

Stara, thanks for the compliments! As always, your questions will be answered in due time. As for the wild sex reviving Gourry, I think you saw how that came out.

As always, a lot of questions, Otaku Girl. Rezo is Rezo and I think it'd be sort of strange for him to welcome a vampire into his church, don't you? There have been a lot of interesting views on Luna's background, but I think we'll only find out the truth when she decides to talk, and she isn't telling at the moment. Valgaav? Just a star, for the moment. Poor Xellos is in pieces. As for Martina, Zangulus, and Sylphiel, I can say that one or more of them will be returning to the story soon. Thanks for the concern. I have been getting more sleep!

Ichiban, thanks for the comments. And did you have to bring up Southern Lina again?

Wesley, I wasn't mocking. The smoke thing would have made for a very cool image, I think. I wish I'd thought of it sooner. As for the cat, it was quite obviously a ghost cat and ran off to chase ghost mice for the rest of the arc. Creepy, no? And for the purposes of this story, you can assume nothing about Xellos or any of the other characters. I'll honor their personalities, but the origins and upbringings are totally different. That being said . . . don't trust Xellos.

Thanks, Miss Gabriev! What happened the second night was what actually happened to the village. After the soldiers slaughtered the villagers, they returned to their grave. As for Amelia being able to find Zelgadis . . . it's an interesting idea.

Kaitrin! You said "kewl!" twice! That's so kewl!

Sorry, Brenda, no wild sex in this story. I have to keep it fit for remember? On the other hand, should I ever find an alternate place to host the story, who knows what I might write?

I can't believe it! This is one of the first things you ever said to me, isn't it, Linachu! That was a while ago! Whoa, nostalgia trip!

Thanks for the compliments, Ishy! As for looking forward to Lina's trip home, don't tell her that. I don't think she's too thrilled about it.

Hi, Kia! I still can't believe how quickly you read the story. On the other hand, I read the entirety of Stephen King's "IT" in 36 hours. I guess we've got some things in common!

Tsukiko . . . I hope you're still reading this even after all this time. I miss you.

Peruru, you gave me the last bit of inspiration I needed to get this done! Thanks!

Until next time, all!


	43. The Edge of Darkness

"Gourry, let me see your hand."

Lina felt like her heart was going to break. Gourry stared at her uncomprehendingly, tears still glistening in his eyes. His hands hung limply in his lap. Finally, unable to bear that look anymore, she leaned over and grabbed his wrist. She felt the muscles in his arm tense up for just an instant before he relaxed.

It was as if a dam had burst inside of the swordsman. His shoulders drooped slightly and he leaned forward. For one fleeting moment, Lina thought that he meant to kiss her, but he moved down past her face until his head was resting in her lap. He fetched a deep sigh—exhaustion or contentment, she could not tell—and lay still.

"What are you . . .?" Lina started to ask. She thought better of it and clamped her mouth shut. He was . . . well, he was something. She favored him with a weak smile before turning her attention back to business: the Sword of Light, still clutched tightly in his grip.

She seized the hilt just above where he clutched it. Gently at first, but with increasing annoyance, she shook the weapon, trying to free it from his grip. At the moment, she would be happier knowing that he was unarmed.

"Let go," she hissed at him when he stubbornly refused to relinquish his hold on the hilt. She bit her tongue, barely resisting the urge to say something really mean to him. He was upset. He was upsetting her. And yelling at him would do little to help the situation. Well, it might make her feel better, but still . . .

Something was wrong. Frowning, Lina moved her hand from the sword up to his wrist. She pushed the leather of his glove aside, revealing the ghost of an injury earned while training years ago. Crimson eyes scrutinized the white line thoughtfully and after a moment of consideration, she traced it with her fingertip. She sighed and nodded almost imperceptibly. It was just as she suspected. There was no tenseness there; Gourry had not been holding onto the sword at all.

She returned her attention to his hand, but her goal had changed. Instead of trying to snatch the sword away from him, she worked her fingers around his. With painstaking gentleness, she peeled his hand away from the hilt. There was a quiet raspy sound, not unlike old parchment being unrolled, as his fingers came free. They had all but been welded to the hilt, it seemed.

"What happened?" she muttered, more to herself than anything. She actually jumped a little when Gourry answered her.

"It was hot," he explained in a voice utterly devoid of emotion.

"What was hot? Wait, you mean the sword?"

His silence was apparently supposed to be an affirmative response.

"Okay . . ." Sighing heavily, Lina laboriously climbed to her feet. Thankfully, Gourry refrained from grabbing her; she might not have made it up, otherwise. Having just been shot in the head, she was more than a little tipsy. _Like being drunk without the fun_, she thought glumly. When she shot him a glance, she noted that his eyes were glued to the sword—strange behavior, given how he had clung to her before.

Lina gave the sword a few empty swings. She felt a little silly for swinging a bladeless weapon, but otherwise normal. "Well, here goes nothing . . ." she said with a shrug. The best way to learn something was by doing so . . . She spent a long moment taking deep breaths and trying to clear her thoughts (it was a pain as a new one seemed to pop up every time she dispelled the old) before activating the sword.

Her voice was resolute and her grip steady when she spoke the words. But there was no familiar hum, no coruscating blade: the Sword of Light was dead.

Before she had time to ponder this new mystery, she became aware of an almost painful amount of pressure on her knee. She looked down to see that Gourry was the reason for her discomfort. He had gripped her leg compulsively when the activating words had been uttered. Now he stared at the weapon, fear written on his face.

Lina's gaze flitted between the sword and Gourry before finally coming to rest on the sword. She set it down beside her and took his hand in her own. "Does it hurt?" she asked, in a sweet tone she reserved for him alone. As the silence stretched out, she ran her fingertips along his palm, feeling ugly bumps that had to be blisters. If her exploration caused him any discomfort, his expression did not betray it. "Tell me what happened."

"I . . . I killed him."

"Okay," she replied in an even tone. There were so many feelings churning within her at that moment—disapproval of the murder, shock that Gourry could do such a thing, pity for his confusion and pain, and finally, although she was loathe to admit it, fear. How much further would he slip before getting better? Somehow, she managed to bite her tongue; if she interrupted him now, she might never get the whole story out of him.

Haltingly at first, but with increasing speed and urgency, Gourry told her what he had seen.

* * *

Over his mail shirt, Walters wore a dark blue tabard emblazoned with the emblem of a white dragon. Theoretically, this was a symbol of his rank as a sergeant in the SCG, with all the experience and leadership capability that implied. Right at this particular moment, however, he felt as green as any new recruit. He had never seen anything quite like the scene before him and was fighting what he sensed was going to be a losing battle with his gorge.

"Alright, let's get this mess squared away before the captain gets here!" he barked. His attempt to sound authoritative sounded weak to his own ears. He croaked more than he yelled. "What are you waiting for?"

"Sarge," one extremely brave—or foolish—recruit piped up, "the boys and I have been talking and . . . we want to go back. We didn't sign up for this." He gestured to the gristly scene before them.

Walters looked for just a moment before squeezing his eyes shut and muttering a little prayer under his voice.

The young man continued. "Sir, I mean this . . . and what we did yesterday . . . it's not right. I think we should go."

The screams of the dead and dying reverberated in Walters' memory. "That's enough!" he barked, but more in response to the memories or the recruit, he could not say.

"But, sir . . ."

"What your compatriot was going to say," a childish voice chimed in, "is that you men are fulfilling the will of Ceiphied himself." Every soldier in the clearing cringed and turned to face the newcomer.

Inquisitor Lemner was one of the higher ups in the church—one of those charged with ferreting out vice and corruption in the populace. Her face was framed by shoulder length rich purple hair. Her age was indeterminable; the lines in her features could have belonged to anyone from age twenty to forty and nobody had mustered the nerve to ask for clarification. Regardless of her age, she was beautiful—or rather she would have been—save for one critical flaw: her lips were curled in a perpetual sneer.

She was clad in the golden vestments of her office. The robes represented the illumination of truth—casting light on the guilty hiding in the shadows. They were well suited for formal affairs, but her robes had been muddied and torn by the long field mission. Ritual trumped practicality in her eyes; she clung to church canon and decorum as if they could shield her from reality.

And now she was in full lecture mode. "Service to Ceiphied is the greatest act one can aspire to, bringing with it glory and respect in the Dragon's eyes," she chided in her infuriating child's voice, "and refusal to carry out the church's edict will . . ." Her violet eyes widened and she took a step back, apparently just noticing the scene before her. "Good heavens! What . . .?"

"I think you've said enough, Miss Lemner." Gaav strode into the clearing, moving the Inquisitor aside none too gently. He strode past the soldiers, not sparing them so much as a glance until he stood before the trembling recruit. "I don't talk as pretty as our _civilian observer_ . . ."

Walters cringed at Gaav's tone. The captain had made no secret of his dislike for Lemner. The two had been at each other's throats since the beginning of the operation. He stole a quick glance at the Inquisitor and, just as expected, she was bristling at Gaav's dismissive tone—her venomous gaze fixed on the back of his orange trench coat.

The captain was apparently immune to her poison, however. " . . . so maybe this'll be more clear. You," he jabbed the terrified man in the chest for emphasis, "are a member of the SCG—the finest group of soldiers outside of the imperial army. You will fulfill your duty, no matter how unpleasant, or face court martial. Is that clear, recruit?"

The young man quickly nodded, and a moment later remembered to salute.

Gaav nodded in satisfaction. "Get back to it then." He raised his voice and snarled at the rest of troops. "And what are you all looking at? Do I look like a clown? Am I here to entertain you? Back to work!"

Without another word, the soldiers went back to their business with renewed urgency. It was as if they had heard the voice of Ceiphied himself, Walters mused. Actually, the dragon analogy might not be that far off the mark. Gaav's exploits had earned him many nicknames during the war: Chaos Dragon, Demon Dragon King, and worse. The captain bore them like badges of honor, grinning wickedly whenever they were brought up in conversation.

And now the Chaos Dragon's gaze was fixed upon Walters. There was no smile there, mirthful or cruel; the captain was all business. Walters saluted smartly. "Sir," he said, hoping that the weakness he felt did not reflect in his voice.

His worries were unfounded as Gaav gave a barely perceptible nod of acknowledgement and sighed heavily. "Sergeant, where'd we get these boys? I swear, they all act like they're fresh off the goddamn farm."

"Some of them are, sir. They were all at the top of their classes though."

That elicited a snort of amusement from the captain. "Rookies . . ." He spat the word out as if it tasted bitter. His sneer quickly gave way to a grave look as he took in the crime scene. "What are we looking at here?" He withdrew a cigar from within his coat and produced a match from another pocket. Somehow, his face remained utterly impassive as he took in the scene.

Walters was taken aback by the captain's question. The moment of drama before had provided a much needed distraction from the scene before them. Going back to it now was like getting a slap in the face.

"Sergeant?" Gaav repeated. There was a barely veiled threat in his tone.

"Right, sir! Sorry, sir!" Walters cleared his throat and tried to compose himself. "As you can see, sir, we've got a camp—broken down in haste from the looks of things. I think the kid back at the farm was right; it was thieves and . . . they were spooked." He glanced down at the ruined remains of the campfire, the discarded blankets, and the occasional chicken feather and nodded. Yes, that should do it . . .

Gaav chuckled cruelly, setting Walters's nerves on edge. "I was referring to the corpse, sergeant. Elaborate work for a chicken thief, wouldn't you say?"

"Actually, sir, there's . . . there's not really enough left to call it a corpse."

Walters had neglected that particular portion of his assessment of the crime scene. The remains of a man—the farmer they were looking for, he would wager—leaned back against a nearby tree staring ahead blankly. That in itself was unsettling, but not at all unexpected; he had seen more than his share of cadavers during his service in the guard. It was just something one dealt with.

No, the really disquieting thing was that a large portion of the farmer was just missing. The head and shoulders were mostly intact . . . _mostly_. The flesh on the left side of his face had bubbled up as if exposed to extreme heat and from the looks of things his eyes had burst. His right arm was just gone below the bicep. There was no sign of ripping either. The flesh just seemed to taper and recede until there was only a pale point of bone visible. Things got much worse when one continued looking down though. Below his breastbone, he was gone for the most part. His skin was shredded in some places, melted in others and his insides were strewn pretty widely about the body. They were ugly and gray, and an image of slugs sprang unbidden to Walter's mind. They swelled in the morning sun, making the entire area stink like an abattoir.

A sudden sickening lurch indicated that his stomach had finally won the battle; Walters quickly turned and retched into a nearby bush. How the captain could stand the sight and smell of the scene was incomprehensible. That train of thought naturally terminated with the cadaver again, triggering a new round of vomiting.

Gaav's huge hand fell on Walters's shoulder a moment later. "Sergeant?"

Suppressing a groan, Walters swiped the back of his hand across his mouth and weakly replied, "Captain?" Sympathy was an alien emotion to Gaav and he could hardly believe that the captain was showing concern for him.

Leaning down until his mouth was next to Walters' ear, Gaav whispered, "You're compromising my crime scene. Toss your breakfast somewhere else." He clapped the sergeant on the shoulder a little harder than necessary and stood. "Alright, let's move!" he roared. "Martin, make yourself useful and double time it back to the farm and tell the kid we found his old man; that'll give you something to do besides traipsing around in those tracks."

The young man froze in act of taking a drink from his waterskin and cast a terrified glance downward. His jaw dropped when he discovered that the captain was right: there were fresh tracks leading away from the crime scene directly underfoot.

"Move!" Gaav roared.

The terrified recruit must have jumped a good five feet—an impressive feat, considering the fact that he was in full armor. He wore an expression of mingled relief and gratitude to be leaving the captain's presence, and he sprinted from the clearing.

"Hurry back or I'll gut you myself!" Gaav yelled after him, displaying the remarkable leadership skills that had earned him the love and loyalty of every man in his unit. "Walters, leave a man to wait for him and bring the rest." He turned to leave, but froze in his tracks after a few steps. He stood immobile for a few moments, his brow furrowed in consternation.

Walters briefly wondered if the captain was having an aneurysm or something. He quickly dismissed that notion; there was no way he could be that lucky. "Captain? Are you all right, sir?"

Gaav raised a finger and the sergeant got the message: "Shut up and let me think."

He closed his mouth with a snap, almost nipping his tongue in the process.

"Now, what was it . . .?" Gaav muttered to himself. He took a step back, paused, and took another. Suddenly, his face lit up with a frightening amount of eagerness. A cat toying with a mouse before going in for the kill might wear a similar expression. He scuffed the dirt with the toe of his boot and Walters finally saw what had distracted him: light glinted faintly off some object on the ground. It was a wonder that the captain had detected it; Walters was sure he would have stepped on it and never broken stride.

Gaav knelt down and snagged the item. "What have we here?"

A dagger, Walters realized. They had missed it during their initial sweep, because the metal was coated with tacky blood and several leaves clung stubbornly to the blade; the captain hastily wiped it clean on his sleeve.

A moment of scrutiny elicited a wild laugh from Gaav.

Inquisitor Lemner stomped over to Gaav and glared up at him. "I demand to know what's so amusing! We're on very serious business here and your flippancy is _not_ appreciated!"

Instead of raising his ire, the captain did the unthinkable: he reached down and wrapped Lemner in a mighty embrace. Walters thought for a moment that he meant to break her in half until he saw the exuberant grin on Gaav's face; somehow, it was more frightening than his scowl.

"Captain, release me this instant!" Lemner sputtered as she rained totally harmless blows upon him. Her face had turned a bright shade of red, although from embarrassment or anger it was impossible to tell. "Are you possessed or just mad!"

The huge man pushed her back to arms length and gave her a good-natured shake; it was a wonder she managed to retain her footing. "We found them," he explained. He brought the dagger up to her eye level and Walters could have sworn he heard the women squeak. "See?" After inadvertently menacing her for a moment longer, Gaav turned and casually tossed the blade to Walters. He released Inquisitor Lemner before turning and plunging into the underbrush. "Get a move on!" he called back. "The day's not getting any longer!"

Walters looked down at the blade in his hands. It was a standard issue SCG dagger—unremarkable in most respects, save for one detail. Etched in the blade near the hilt were two small letters.

"G.G."

* * *

Lina stared at the Sword of Light for a long moment before asking, "You say the sword turned red?" The question brought up old memories and she suddenly found herself drawn back to the past—to a time when a young child and her older sister attended a church service. She'd actually managed to stay awake for that one, oddly enough. Xellos had been in fine form that day, weaving words with such amazing skill that Lina had been weeping openly by the end of the sermon, filled with pity for a man who had fallen hundreds of years ago.

Gourry was staring at her questioningly.

She blinked in surprise and blurted, "What?"

"Red," Gourry repeated.

Lina's heart sank with his confirmation. "You _wanted_ to kill him, didn't you?"

Gourry deftly deflected her question as easily as a clumsy strike with a blade. "He was going to hurt you. It was the _right_ thing to do." His words were frighteningly cold. Gourry, the man she had heard speak at length to a childhood friend about how he abhorred killing. For him to speak so dismissively about something like this . . .

Shaking her head in befuddlement, Lina said, "Gourry, that's just . . ." She paused momentarily, trying to find the right words to continue, and gave his good hand a reassuring squeeze. He claimed there was no feeling in the other. Which was bad. What good was a swordsman without a sword hand? As mean as it might sound, he was pretty damn useless right now.

"Anyway," she muttered, getting herself back on topic, "that worries me—your description of the sword."

"W-Why?"

Lina winced at the waver in Gourry's voice. It hurt her to hear him like this. "Well . . . it's similar to the story of Rezo the Red and the Serpent, don't you think?" She fetched a deep sigh and slumped a bit when she noticed her companion's clueless look. Some things about him stayed the same at least. "Didn't you ever go to church? Listen to the sermons? Read the parables? Never mind. Scratch that last one."

Gourry thought long and hard and Lina smiled a bit in spite of herself. As long as she could keep him talking, there would be no time for him to sulk. Finally, he nodded and said, "Yeah, I've been before. I think Sylphiel had to keep waking me up . . ." Apparently sensing danger in her fiery gaze, he quickly added, "So, who was the Red Serpent guy?"

"Rezo the Red," Lina corrected through gritted teeth, "and the Serpent. It's one of _the_ most important stories in our history. To explain the story, we need to go back to the beginning. You remember what I told you about the Sword of Light back in Sairaag, right?"

". . ."

"Never mind. I'll sum up. Basically, Rezo the First forged the sword to help him defeat the Hellmaster a thousand years ago. After that, it was passed from father to son in the holy bloodline for seven generations. That tradition ended with Rezo the Red. One of the _many_ noteworthy things about the man was that he was the last in the line to bear the Sword of Light."

"Why?"

Lina vainly searched Gourry's face for some sort of answer. "Well . . ." she finally said with a sigh of defeat, "mostly because it drove him mad."

* * *

Martin was one of the younger recruits in the SCG, only having seen his seventeenth summer. And unlike many of his compatriots, he had joined out of a genuine desire to better the lives of others. He was also unique in the sense that he was eager to improve and gain approval from his superiors. That included (much to the morbid fascination of the others) Captain Gaav.

That was why he was cursing himself at the moment; the captain had chastised him (rightfully so) for marring the tracks of the perpetrators. In addition, the young soldier had suffered the indignity of being sent on a stupid errand.

_Not stupid_, he mentally corrected. _He deserves to know what happened to his father_. That brought up another important thought: what was he going to say to the guy? It would be a moot point if he spent the rest of the day stumbling around in a corn field. He had an irritating suspicion that he had gotten turned around somewhere. Dry husks of corn stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. Which was not saying much, as Martin was a rather short man and unable to see over the tops of the stalks anyway.

Uttering a small curse under his breath, the young man removed his helm, revealing a head of neatly trimmed dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

He raised his waterskin to his lips. Before taking so much as a gulp, he was sputtering. "What the hell?" he mumbled. The water had tasted off and a moment later he saw why; the spout was smeared with blood. He immediately clutched his side, wondering when he could have picked up an injury—more blood, but no pain. Not his then.

That was when he noticed the corn. There were traces of crimson about waist level on the stalks to his left. He reached out to touch them. His heart skipped a beat when his glove came away damp. It _was_ fresh then!

His orders forgotten, Martin set off on a new path. One bloody stalk, then another, and another—there was a trail here. His mind raced with the possibilities. First it was a wounded animal, then a civilian in trouble. By the end, he was tracking the perpetrators of the heinous crime in the forest. His imagination had just reached the part where the captain had commended his valor in apprehending the entire band of brigands when he heard something over the whisper of wind through the corn.

He weighed his options—stealth and the element of surprise versus announcing his presence. After a moment of deliberation, he decided that there was no way he could sneak up on anyone. The corn was maddeningly loud and he had only a vague idea of where his target was—or if there was anyone out there at all, for that matter. He hesitantly called, "Anyone there? This is Guardsman Martin of the SCG. Are you wounded?"

The breeze intensified ever so slightly, sending the corn into a maddening bout of rustling. Martin struggled to remain calm, while simultaneously trying to look in every direction at once. It had been a mistake to announce his presence. He was certain that something was watching from just beyond the rows.

Even as he cowered, one of Gaav's first and most insistent lessons sprang to mind. _Remember your badge, son_. _They have to respect you if you show them your badge_. He reached into a pouch on his belt and fished around for a moment. "Come on, come on . . ." he muttered under his breath.

Finally, he found it. Pulling it free, he thrust the small bronze emblem of rank out before him, as if warding off some evil. "This is Guardsman Martin of the SCG!" he repeated with more confidence. "Stand and identify yourself, citizen, or I will be forced to hurt you!" He slid his sword free of its scabbard and held it out before him.

It was not quite midmorning yet, but the sun was already fairly high in the cloudless sky. Light reflected on Martin's highly polished blade, bringing him some small measure of comfort.

There was a moment of silence and then an explosion of movement not more than a dozen feet to Martin's left. He turned and thrust his sword out threateningly and for the briefest instant, he thought he saw something between the stalks. His defensive posture proved unnecessary, as whatever he had flushed out was apparently more interested in flight than fighting. The sound of snaps and pops reached Martin's ears as his adversary retreated; it was crashing through the corn at a frightening speed; had the guard any intention of pursuing (and to be quite honest, he was ready to let this one go), there would have been no way of keeping up with its pace.

Martin held his guarded position until he was sure that it had gone. He finally let out a shaky sigh and considered his options. The captain; he had to get the captain. The troops were mucking around in the forest, and he had the killer right here.

A shudder ran down the young man's spine as he considered another equally terrifying option: what if it had been an animal? A bear maybe? He could imagine the captain's wrath if Martin dragged him all the way back here for a bear. Not to mention that Lemner witch; what would she say if he pulled them away from their mission?

"That's a load of bull," he said aloud. Whatever that was, it was _not_ a goddamned bear, Ceiphied pardon his language. Still, he owed it to the captain—and to himself—to be sure before going back.

The decision made, Martin reluctantly advanced on the spot where the "bear" had been lurking. Pushing through the last stalks, he frowned. It was gristly, yes, but at least there was no corpse, as he had secretly feared. Slightly mollified, he knelt down to get a better look at the scene. Mangled chickens were strewn carelessly about, and judging from how the corn plants were tamped down, something had been laying here—perhaps for several nights.

As he surveyed the area, a welter of thoughts came to him, none of them pleasant.

First off, this was no bear. His father had taken him hunting when he was younger and Martin had seen his share of bears. Making a home out in the open like this was not animal behavior. Whatever was out here had known that the harvest season was over and its resting place was unlikely to be discovered.

Secondly, it was clever—dangerously so. Martin followed the path of its retreat with his eyes. The corn was battered and broken in a straight line for what looked to be twenty or thirty feet in the direction it had retreated. Past that, he could still see a bit of blood on the stalks, but no other evidence of its passing.

Martin had the horrible feeling that his adversary had just made a clever feint. He was sweating now, even in the cool autumn morning. Swiping his arm across his forehead, he cursed. Even now, he could see it. _He runs—he's got to; he knows I'm onto him. Makes a hell of a lot of noise to show me that he's really going . . ._

His breath quickened and he could feel his pulse hammering in his temples. He was screwed. It had never left at all. He could see it in his mind's eye, running at a rapid pace one moment and slipping into concealment the next—slow and deliberate movements concealed by the breeze. He had no idea of what it was, but he pictured it circling around, moving with deadly stealth, _stalking_ him . . . His imagination continued on, despite his best attempts to stop the scenario. He could see his own back, where he was still crouched in the small clearing like a fool—why had he lowered his guard? It approached within springing distance and . . .

Martin screamed and whirled, swinging his sword wildly as he lurched to his feet. Several plants fell to his vicious assault, but aside from that, there was nothing there. His brilliant blue eyes darted to and fro in a vain attempt to confirm his initial impression.

Nothing.

The young soldier released a half-sigh/half-sob of relief and tried to calm his nerves. There was nothing there. He was really alone. And he had wasted far too much time here. He had to get back to the captain and report his findings.

So intent was Martin on his thoughts that he failed to notice a change in the rustling of the corn. There was another noise beneath it, more deliberate and measured—the deadly quiet of dry husks being crushed underfoot.

Only when a menacing shadow fell over him, did Martin understand what had happened.

* * *

"Sir, did you hear that?"

Gaav was in the process of fording a stream. Knee deep in water, he paused and turned. A noise had just disrupted the quiet harmony of the morning. A scream, by the sound of it, but very faint. He puffed slowly on his ever-present cigar and considered the possibilities. "Just a bird, Walters," he concluded after a moment. "Keep moving." He turned, but before he could take two steps, Walters interrupted again.

"Captain, I don't think that was a bird."

The first hints of a headache stirred within his skull. _Count to ten_, Gaav told himself. _Give it time to settle in and you'll enjoy pulling his head off even more_. Oh, that was a soothing thought. Except, it would be infuriatingly inconvenient to lose his second at the moment.

The fact that Walters was voicing concerns that had been nagging at him all morning did nothing to make him feel better; on the contrary, it felt like having a second conscience nagging at him. Unfortunately for Walters, however, he was a conscience that could be silenced by a hand around his throat. The idea was immensely appealing.

Still, he was on the trail of the perps and, as much as he loathed admitting it, he needed Walters for the immediate future. He beckoned his subordinate over with a crooked finger. "Sergeant, a word." He grinned wickedly when he saw Walters' reluctance to move. The officer had to be wondering if this was the time that he had finally pushed Gaav too far.

Finally, Walters resigned himself to his fate and waded out to where the captain waited. He struggled slightly, the water coming up to mid-thigh.

Counting on the noise of the water to obscure their discussion from the men on shore, Gaav growled, "Insubordination, Walters?"

Walters blanched, but to his credit, his fear never reached his voice. "No, sir. It's just that it sounded like Martin."

"I concur. And I don't care," Gaav replied. "Davis can check it out; that's why he's back there. We're moving on." The captain's instincts nagged at him; this was a reckless decision from a tactical standpoint. His squad had been decimated and further dividing them could be dangerous. However, he was _not_ going to risk losing his quarry by marching the entire group back. Gabriev was a deserter and a traitor—two qualities that Gaav despised. Worthless men like Gabriev had done more damage during the war than the enemy. They were cowardly insufferable creatures and deserved nothing more than a miserable death.

Gaav's lips curled in a snarl at the thought. He was this close to grinding Gabriev beneath his heel and another obstacle had been laid in his path. And like most other mishaps on this mission, this could be chalked up to improper leadership by . . .

An infuriating voice, dripping with petulant indignance, called out, "What seems to be the problem here?"

"Speak of the Dark Lord and he shall appear . . ." Gaav muttered under his breath. He and his subordinate both looked up to see Inquisitor Lemner gingerly making her way out into the water. She had her robes bunched up in her hands in an attempt to keep them dry; all she really managed to do was give the men a look at her legs.

"I was unaware that there _was_ a problem," Gaav growled.

Lemner glanced down at her thoroughly soaked vestments thoughtfully. Finally, she apparently decided that the damage was already done and released them. "Let's step onto shore and talk, captain."

"No," Gaav immediately retorted.

Both Lemner and Walters seemed taken aback by Gaav's impertinence. Walters was unable to conceal a gasp and Lemner's mouth hung open in utter disbelief.

Frustration over the events of the past few days churned just below the surface of Gaav's consciousness, but he somehow managed to keep his face a frightening mask of neutrality. He hated this woman with a passion. Although she was technically above him in the chain of command—Shabranigdo take her—she was a pathetic leader and lacked the merest inkling of how to run a squad. Not to mention the fact that she had gotten more than a few of his best men killed in the previous day's work by second guessing his orders and marching them into a sloppy ambush.

"Well," Lemner said with an infuriating huff, "I'll be sure to report this insubordination to my superiors when we return!" Her face split in a wicked grin, revealing two rows of crooked teeth. Gaav imagined that a shark smelling blood in the water might grin like that; it seemed that there _was_ something likeable about her after all.

"You're holding up _my_ pursuit, captain," she continued, her smile widening if that was possible.

The headache that had been a whisper before was quickly whipping itself into something more. Gaav felt a steady throbbing in his temples and snarled, "Better to take it slow than have any more mistakes like yesterday, I think."

"Sir, if I may," Walters chimed in, "I don't think this is something Davis should investigate on his—"

"Don't second guess me," Gaav snapped. He turned his attention back to the infuriating woman before him and added, "That goes for you too. If you think you're in charge here, you're sorely mistaken. Your pretty little dress and rules don't mean a goddamn thing out here."

"Dress!" she sputtered indignantly. "These are the vestments of an Inquisitor!"

"They look like wet rags to me," Gaav pointed out with no small amount of satisfaction. The robes were almost certainly ruined by the rough treatment they had received over the past few days and this stupid little woman still clung to them as if they meant something. Had his skull not been pounding, it would have been laughable.

Lemner drew herself up to her full imposing height of four feet and eleven inches and explained, "Mister Gaav, I will have you know that the robes of an Inquisitor of the Holy Church of Ceiphied are one of the most prestigious—"

"Shut up!" he roared in response. That had the blissful effect of momentarily cowing her. Before she could find her voice and launch into another tirade, he snapped his gaze around to Walters. The smaller man cowered and took a step back, but luckily for him, Gaav was more interested in work than punishment. "Move them out! The sooner we get this garbage over with, the sooner we all get to go home!"

* * *

"Rezo the Red was one of the more visible High Priests in our history; most of them have been rather reclusive—the current one more than most, but that's not important right now.

"Back in the days of Rezo the Red, things were a lot stricter than they are even now. Citizens were required to attend multiple prayer services a day and were even denied the right to carry weapons. I guess you could say they were like cattle in a way, constantly being shuffled here and there on the whim of the church."

"That's rough."

"Yeah, but it _was_ a very peaceful time in the empire. It kinda makes me wonder sometimes. Would we all be better off if someone like that was still in charge? There wouldn't be as much corruption in the church; that much is certain. And maybe some things would be different." Lina fetched a deep sigh as she thought about Luna. Would things be different now if her sister had the open support of the church instead of having to work from the shadows? Would the Eternal Twilight have even taken place if the church had been more vigilant? Her hand slipped into her pocket to find the crest that Luna had left her. She traced the familiar outline etched in the gold with her thumb as she slipped deeper into her thoughts.

"Lina?" Gourry whispered.

Lina shook her head and smiled at her companion. "It's nothing." Before he had time to question further, she launched back into her lecture. "Rezo the Red's reign wasn't uneventful though. The empire was at peace, but there were those who frowned on such things. The Serpent, for one. One of Deep Sea Dolphin's servants."

"Like . . . the fish!" Gourry asked, a bit of incredulity creeping into his voice.

"She's _utterly_ mad, Gourry—one of the four servants of Shabranigdo. Hellmaster was the greatest of these, but he had three younger siblings: Dynast Grausherra, who preys on humanity's greed and envy. Zelas, whose domain covers . . . baser instincts." Lina shuddered at the memory of her encounter with Zelas. She was a bit surprised to note that she was feeling a bit of guilt. Even if it had been under duress, she had betrayed Gourry.

* * *

Davis envied his comrades, in spite of the fact that they were running with the captain snapping at their heels. He would have much preferred to be out there doing something useful. Anything to distract him from the stinking corpse a few feet away. Not to mention the yell. Something was happening.

Uttering a vulgar epithet under his breath, Davis stomped irately to the edge of clearing. If he focused on being angry, it kept his mind off how nervous he was. His hands trembled and he started at every small noise in the forest. He was a city boy, no doubt about it. Born and raised in Sairaag, he suspected that the captain had chosen him for this job because he had a mean streak a mile wide and a modicum of skill with a sword. He was a rare one.

Most of the guards were too young to remember the last war, with the notable exception of Gaav and a few others. The captain, now approaching fifty, had been in his early twenties when the fighting ended. Although his skill was said to be legendary, there had been little reason or opportunity to test his ability in recent years.

For that matter, no guard had much reason to be proficient. Since violence erupted in the fair city of Sairaag so rarely, most of their knowledge of swordsmanship could be summed up with, "Try to put the pointy end in the opponent and deny him the opportunity to do the same to you."

Snorting derisively at the thought of the more untalented members of his company, Davis unsheathed his blade. "Martin?" His voice came back to him, sounding almost as if it were mocking him. However, Martin did not answer.

He took another step away from the corpse and paused, a scowl fixed on his face. The camp was just under the trees. Beyond the forest, a strip of waist high grass waved quietly in the breeze—and then, the corn. Davis found himself hesitant to leave the forest. It was incredibly open out there under the blue sky.

"Martin!" he called again, irritation slipping into his voice this time. That little bastard was probably in the farmhouse shooting the breeze with that boy. It was an easy excuse and somehow, it never occurred to him that neither Martin nor the kid were likely to be terribly chatty at the news of a death.

Davis's lips curled in a cruel snarl. Here he was hollering like a fool while Martin was taking it easy. Muttering all sorts of dark things under his breath, he strode headlong into the field. As he walked, he ran through the ass chewing he was going to give the rookie. The little slacker was in a great deal of trouble. A mean grin split his face, revealing ugly yellow teeth; the thought of punishing Martin made him feel a bit better.

It was nigh impossible to see the ground; the grass seemed to cling to his body as he waded through it. He was still surprised when he stumbled though. Davis felt a sharp pain in his thigh as he put weight on his leg. He overbalanced and toppled to the ground. His sword flew free of his fingers; an instant later, it was eagerly devoured by the rustling grass.

Davis lay there for a moment, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. His leg was on fire with one bastard of a charley horse and it hurt like hell. Hissing through gritted teeth, he reached down to massage feeling back into the protesting muscle. He fumbled around for a moment finding nothing but air. Reaching a little higher, his hand found pulsating warmth.

"The . . . hell . . .?" Davis muttered as he pulled himself up to a sitting position. He looked down at himself. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he squeezed his eyes shut. No, there was no way that could be right . . . he was just seeing things. He came back to himself long enough to take a second look. His initial impression had been correct: his right leg from just above his knee on down was just _gone_.

It took him a moment to react and then only because the pain jolted him back to himself. He clapped a hand over the wound even as his mind raced. He was bleeding to death. Unable to think of anything else to do, he pressed down hard on the injury and barked in pain as a fresh jolt of agony shot up his leg.

How had this happened? If he was going to die, he wanted to know why at least. Blinking through the haze that had begun to cloud his vision, he studied the wound. Not a sword stroke, he concluded after a moment. The cut would have been . . .

Davis woke up again an indeterminable amount of time later. It could have been five seconds or five years. Judging by the fact that he was still bleeding, it was probably closer to the first guesstimate.

But, really, did it matter? Davis was tired and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that legs were overrated. Legs were not really necessary to lie down and enjoy a nice day, were they? He could find no flaw in his logic, so he released his grip on his leg and lay back. It was pretty chilly out; he was shaking like a leaf. He gazed up at the sun overhead, his eyes glazing over. The sky was a lovely shade of blue and the sun was high. Then why was it so cold? If he could just lie here a moment, he was sure that he would warm up. Then he could go for help. Yes, that was what he would do. Just rest a bit. It made perfect sense . . .

Davis came to one last time to hear the rustling of corn and feel dry plant matter beneath his back. His vision was almost gone, but he got the merest glimpse of something in front of him, dragging him through the rows.

* * *

"They split off, sir. See?" Chase, one of the more eager men on this mission, practically hopped from foot to foot as he pointed to the tracks in the mud. He was an infuriating little man, and it angered Gaav more than a bit that the little mongrel was so excited about finding a complication in their pursuit.

The crimson haired giant nodded once, silently commanding Chase to step back and shut up. Thankfully, the tracker got the hint and retreated to the relative safety of his compatriots' company. Gaav knelt down with a grunt of discomfort; his left knee popped irritatingly. He absentmindedly kneaded the protesting joint as he took in the seemingly random pattern of tracks in the mud before him.

Upon first glance, this appeared to be an animal trail; a wide assemblage of tracks crossed and re-crossed one another leading to the river a few hundred yards back. But, hidden amidst the marks of deer and other assorted beasts, human tracks could be discerned. And that was where things got intriguing.

Gaav made a disgusted little noise in the back of his throat and withdrew one of his innumerable cigars from within his coat; he _hated_ intriguing. _It's usually a lot of extra work for the same payoff_, he groused.

The group had split, as Chase had noted. If he really was following Gabriev (and he had no reason to doubt that fact), his were the heaviest prints—spaced widely apart and sort of listing from side to side. Another smaller set followed these; he had been moving with great haste and dragging someone behind him—the redhead, if he had to make a guess. Gabriev had been quite protective of her in their last encounter.

But, why the haste? Gaav's scrunched up his brow in irritation. They had several hours lead on him, which meant that they probably had no idea they were being pursued. Something else had spooked them, then. The farmer? No, Gabriev could have taken that man apart with little effort, if he were so inclined.

Two sets of smaller footprints—Gabriev's other companions, no doubt—branched off to the left; unlike Gabriev and his companion, these two seemed to have no quarrel; both sets were widely spaced, as if they had been running together.

"Damn it," Gaav snarled, almost biting through his cigar. His orders were clear: the dark haired young lady was his first priority, even at the loss of Gabriev and the others. Far from being happy with his clear-cut orders, he was furious. Gabriev was a deserter, a traitor, and just a massive pain in the ass in general; he could not even count the number of migraines the guard had given him during his short tenure. The very idea of letting him go in favor of chasing down some little girl made him see red.

He stood and stretched, popping his back before turning to regard the troops. Lemner glared at him silently, but he easily ignored her. People had done much worse than glare at him in his time. As long as she remained silent, she was tolerable.

Infuriatingly, the number of his handpicked squad had dwindled from fourteen to eight in the last forty-eight hours. Four had been lost in the previous day's operation. Martin and Davis were currently incommunicado and, he assumed, gone; they should have caught up by now. If Gaav had access to his entire department, as he was accustomed, he would have sent a squad back to check on his wayward troops. He was a stern and cruel man at times, but a good soldier was a good soldier and he hated losing them.

The sad fact of the matter was that he could only count on the men he saw before him. And although his instincts screamed that further division of the group was ill advised, his orders were clear: the circus girl was the top priority. However, his duty to Sairaag demanded that Gabriev and his cohort be brought to justice as well. A lot of innocents had been endangered in their little coup attempt.

"Chase!" he bellowed, "take two men and follow them." He pointed in the direction that the acrobat had fled. "Catch up after you've finished." The part of his order that was clearest was the part left unsaid: there would be no arrests made. This entire mission was about sweeping the undesirable element under the rug.

He watched as Chase nodded at the two men closest to him before darting off, intent as a hound on the hunt. They would be back shortly with any luck at all.

"Walters," he growled, nodding down the alternate trail.

Walters glanced at the retreating backs of Chase and the others and then turned his puzzled gaze back to his commanding officer. Judging by his expression, he had been thinking the same thing about splitting their group.

"Captain's prerogative," Gaav said with a grin. "Let's go. The day's wasting."

* * *

Gourry had been relieved when Lina started talking. For the life of him, he could not follow her; she was listing off names left and right—names of people he would probably never meet. Why would he need to know these people if they were going to have no impact on his life? Still, he listened all the same. Listening to his Lina talk was soothing. He gazed at her intently—reading her emotions, marveling at the hue the rising sun cast on her face, and most importantly, forgetting what he had done that night.

He was in the ideal position to watch her; laying back and using her lap as a pillow, there was no reason not to look. She was right there. And because of that, he caught the slight furrowing of her brow—the half frown that indicated doubt more than thought. He reached up and clumsily stroked her cheek with numb fingers. He almost poked her in the eye, but instead of getting mad, Lina grinned. She grabbed his wrist and gave him a playful little peck on the back of his hand before releasing him.

Gourry grinned momentarily in the instant before reality hit home. Sensation below the wrist still eluded him. What good was a warrior whose sword hand was dead?

That was enough of that though. "The dolphin lady?" he gently prodded. Even if comprehension currently eluded him, Lina seemed to have some inkling of what was wrong with him. He just hoped that she would get around to it before he nodded off. He was so tired lately.

"Oh. Right. Where was I . . .?" Lina muttered, momentarily taken aback. Her face suddenly lit up with comprehension and she exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Anyway, the youngest was Dolphin. And, as I said, she's just mad. That's not her true name, but it's how she introduced herself the one time she came into contact with mortals. That's a story for another day though."

"Oh. Okay. What's today's story again?"

"Rezo the Red and the Serpent!"

Gourry grinned sheepishly. "Oh, yeah."

"Rezo was tireless in his efforts to better the empire. Whenever the first murmurs of unrest could be heard, he'd be there within days to cool the populace's ire. He was a brilliant diplomat—very zealous, very inspiring. He's the only reason that the people tolerated the strict edicts passed by the church in those days."

"So what happened?"

"The Serpent happened. Nobody knows how it came about, but the Serpent somehow found a way to our world. The forces of Shabranigdo live only to usurp Ceiphied's influence. And the Serpent was obsessed with unmaking all that Rezo had done. It hounded him day and night, harrying him and undoing all the good that he'd worked for. Every pocket of unrest that the High Priest soothed redoubled in its unrest a few days after his passing."

"How?" Gourry interjected. "You said the priest guy was really popular, right?"

Lina fetched a sigh. "I don't know, Gourry. I wasn't there, but according to the story, the Serpent had these . . . these . . ."

Gourry watched as Lina struggled to find the word she wanted. She gesticulated in frustration, her hands opening and closing a few inches in front of her breasts. He lost himself momentarily and found himself on the verge of reaching up to caress them. His keen sense of self-preservation saved him, however; Lina was in lecture mode right now, and such actions might not go over very well.

Lina snapped her fingers and blurted, "Assets!"

"Assets?" Gourry dubiously echoed.

"Assets," Lina repeated more confidently. "The Serpent had great assets. You know, powers. Like the mysterious ability to twist human will, for instance. The very sound of its voice was said to drive men mad."

"That's pretty scary."

"And it got worse, Gourry. While Rezo had been strict before, it was _nothing_ compared to what he did in the wake of the Serpent's manipulations. He tightened his grip on the populace, even going so far as to execute people hapless enough to be out after curfew. He performed a lot of the executions himself." She nodded at the Sword of Light. "Using that. And that's when people started noticing the change. The Sword of Light had always been a symbol of divinity and purity. But, after he started the executions, people noticed a change—a taint in the sword. It took on a bloody hue, as if reminding Rezo of the innocent lives he'd ended."

Gourry realized that he was holding his breath and exhaled loudly. The farmer from before, was he innocent too? Gourry had spent his life helping people and derived no pleasure from killing. Thinking back on the situation, there were at least a dozen ways he could have resolved it without bloodshed. Even in the dark, he could have incapacitated instead of killing. But, the thought of losing Lina . . . in some dark part of his mind, he had _wanted_ to make the farmer suffer for forcing him to consider that possibility.

He shook his head. No, his actions had just been a bad judgment on his part. Split second decisions had to be made sometimes, and it was better to err on the side of caution.

And Lina was still here, wasn't she? So, the right choice had been made. Admittedly she was a little bloody and battered, but when was she not? Gourry felt a sudden urge to kiss her. Seeing no need to deny that urge (and honestly, not _that_ eager to find one), he rolled up to a sitting position. A moment later, he had slipped his arm around Lina and dipped her back.

Her expression quickly turned from one of surprise to quiet contemplation as she looked up at him.

"What?" he asked, suddenly uncomfortable. Her gaze was intense and he had the strange notion that she was searching his face for something.

"You," she said quietly as she extended her hand towards his face, "are going to have such a time getting all this stuff out of your hair." She reached past his cheek and plucked an errant leaf from somewhere behind his ear. Gourry was not the least bit surprised to see that it was red. "That's what you get for laying down, Jellyfish."

"Yeah, well, coming from a girl with blood in her hair, that doesn't mean much," he replied with a grin. Before she could protest, he leaned in and kissed her needily.

* * *

Chase shook his head in wonderment, took a second look at the scene before him, and groaned. "What in the _hell_ happened here?"

The trail had been easy enough to follow and he had been quick in his pursuit. His two companions—Jones and Cain—had been able to keep up with little difficulty, which was another welcome bonus. But, just when he thought things were going to be easy, it started getting weird.

The two fugitives had been running full speed through the forest and making no attempt to conceal their movements. The odd part was that a third set of tracks fell into pursuit of the first pair about a quarter mile back. That in itself was strange. Chase could not imagine who would already be in pursuit. He briefly considered the possibility that another of the fugitives' group was trying to catch up with them, but quickly discarded that theory; he had been on the trail since the pursuit had begun. And all false modesty aside, he was an excellent tracker. It was highly improbable that he could have missed a fifth group member. He ruled out any members of his unit as well; the odds of another SCG patrol picking up the trail this soon was negligible at best.

If that had been the most vexing part, Chase would have shrugged it off and kept going without a second thought. But, the simple truth of the matter was that this new set of tracks was just wrong. They made no sense. As an experiment, had tried to put his feet in their place. After taking a few steps, he had stumbled, unable to mimic the bizarre and twisted gait of the tracks.

The way the right print was twisted indicated a pretty serious deformity, but at the same time, the spacing indicated long strides. The image that came to mind was strange, to say the least—an old man with a bad leg hobbling along the path, but at the pace of a youth sprinting at full speed.

The day had been one puzzle after another, and now this . . .

The narrow path had finally opened up a bit into a small clearing of sorts, revealing a new scene of carnage. Not bloody, thankfully enough, although the scraps of maroon cloth scattered about the area momentarily gave that impression. No, this used to be a pack of gear, but something had been in it. The contents were now carelessly strewn about.

"Ah reckon ah know," Jones drawled.

Chase and Cain looked over at him, hopeful expressions on their faces.

"These fellas was chicken thieves, right?" Jones said with a nod. He knelt down and picked up a scrap of burgundy cloth. "Yep, ah reckon ah kin tell what happened. They stole too many chickens, doncha think?"

"You . . . um . . ." Chase shook his head and barely suppressed a chuckle. "Jones, are you suggesting that their bag exploded because it was overfilled . . . with chickens?" He wondered if the statement sounded as stupid to hear as it felt to say.

Apparently not to Jones, as he grinned crookedly and nodded. "Ah reckon."

"You know, he might actually be right," Cain chimed in with a mischievous grin.

"Really?" Jones's chest puffed out ever so slightly at the compliment.

"Yeah, man! I heard about something like this up near Atlas City. The damn chicken thieves never read the warning labels on the bags! They get greedy, overfill, and _bam_!" Cain slammed his fist into his palm for emphasis. "That's all she wrote!"

Normally Chase was a fairly easygoing guy, but the entire situation had set him on edge. "Cain, knock it off! Jones, he's just screwing with you," he snapped.

"Oh," Jones flatly replied. He seemed to deflate a bit and stared down at the scrap of cloth in his hand for a long moment. His head suddenly shot up and he asked, "If it didn't pop, why do ya reckon everythin's all tore up then?"

"Not everything, buddy," Cain corrected with a wolfish grin as he rummaged through the pack. "Have a look at this! I'd like to meet the gal who filled this baby out!" He produced a bright green, and totally undamaged, chemise with a flourish. Judging by the bright color and cut of the material, it was designed to draw attention to the wearer; the wearer in this case must have been a rather chesty girl—a circus performer, perhaps.

Which, conveniently enough, was who they were searching for, Chase realized. He was unable to shake the feeling, however, that they had stumbled into something bigger. Their mission had been unpleasant—wholesale slaughter was never enjoyable—but it should have been fairly cut and dried. The fact that they were still losing men and had lost a few of their targets was troubling.

"Ah wonder why only the boy's clothes got tore up," Jones mused aloud.

Startled out of his thoughts, Chase shot his companion a questioning look. "Boy?"

"Ah reckon," Jones replied with a nod. He held up the tattered remains of a burgundy top—half a sleeve and the shredded body of the garment. "Too small to be that gal's, doncha think?"

"Yeah . . ." Chase muttered in response. As he looked around the clearing, he was suddenly struck by how much shredded red clung to the foliage. Red, and only red.

* * *

"Gourry," Lina managed to blurt between insistent and needy kisses, "hold up." He mumbled something vaguely negative in response and kissed her again. Working her arms between their bodies, she managed to push him back, slightly. "Hang on, bait for brains!" she chided. A few moments of fumbling and twisting later and she was on her feet looking down at him.

The swordsman looked hurt to have his affections spurned in such a manner and Lina thought she saw the slightest hint of anger darken his features. It might have been a trick of the light though, because a moment later it was gone. Her imagination or something more sinister, she could not say, but it made her uneasy. One thing she knew for certain was she had better have a good explanation for him. And "You're making me really uncomfortable" might not be the best way to justify her actions.

"Look," she sighed, "we really need to keep going. Amelia's out there somewhere, and she's probably scared out of her mind. I didn't really give much explanation when I sent her off last night." She blushed a bit as she added, "Besides, what if she wandered in while we were . . . um . . . 'busy'?"

"Well, I'd hate for her to feel left out, I guess . . ."

Lina shot Gourry a smoldering glare before catching the sad half smile on his face. It had been a joke, even if his dour demeanor and flat tone had made it sound otherwise. At least he was making an effort to lighten the mood. Still . . .

She pounced on him with all the ferocity of a mountain cat, and an instant later had him trapped in what she knew had to be a painful headlock. "What's that supposed to mean!" she demanded, adding a bit more torque to her technique.

Gourry flailed helplessly in her grip. "Ow! Nothing!" his muffled voice responded.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she grumbled. She begrudgingly loosened her grip on him ever so slightly, allowing her companion a modicum of oxygen. "No more talk about that," she chided. "I'm not in the mood, we need to find Amelia, and . . ." Her face lit up and she unconsciously gave Gourry's neck a painful little twist. "I haven't finished my story yet! You wanna hear the rest of that, right? Of course you do!"

Her protector retorted with a dry, "Yay," and what might have been a halfhearted attempt at a thumbs up. His fingers were immobile and lifeless and his thumb pointed upwards only by virtue of the fact that his hand was turned that way.

Lina stared at his fingers for a moment, feeling her momentary spurt of enthusiasm drain out of her. Sighing heavily, she released her grip on him. "Gourry, why did you do it?"

Gourry winced in pain as he rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand. "Do what?"

"Kill that guy."

Gourry froze at her question, his hand still resting on the back of his neck. Well, not totally—he surreptitiously slipped his right hand behind his back, as if concealing evidence of a crime.

Lina saw it though, and she recognized a momentary flash of anger in Gourry's eyes; her scrutiny had not gone unnoticed.

"I . . . didn't have a choice," he protested after a long moment of hesitation.

"What?"

"He was going to kill you, Lina."

Gourry stood and Lina was suddenly struck by how tall and imposing he was. His height and muscular frame had been comforting to her before; there was something reassuring about being in his arms—not that she _needed_ protecting or anything like that, she hastily clarified. But now . . .

She uttered a surprised little noise as he suddenly leaned forward and embraced her. His normally gentle touch had given way to desperate desire and he crushed her to himself. "You're all I have left," Gourry explained, fear slipping into his voice. "If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or perhaps the aches and pains that had become all too prevalent of late—in any case, Lina heard words being spoken: harsh words. It was another moment before she understood that she was the one doing the talking. And by that point, she no longer cared.

"Yeah," Lina scathingly retorted, "including offing innocent farmers. Gee, Gourry, why don't you kill a couple kids while you're at it? You never know what they'll grow up to be like!" She winced when his grip tightened.

Gourry shook his head emphatically. "You don't understand."

"You could've disarmed him easily!"

"It was dark . . ."

"The Slayers credo forbids the killing of innocents!"

Gourry snorted quietly. "I'm not a Slayer. And how do you know he was innocent?"

"How do you know he wasn't! And you're a former _guard_, Gourry! How can you say those things!" Lina fired back. "You said you didn't like taking lives! What about that? This isn't like you at all!"

Lina felt Gourry's grip slacken slightly and for a moment, she thought that she might have gotten through to him. However, when he spoke again, his voice was like ice.

"Lina, you just don't get it." Gourry gently laid a hand on her chin and tilted it up until she was looking at him. "That guy, he wanted to take you away from me." His expression turned grim and he added, "I couldn't let that happen."

He said only one thing more, but it sent a chill down Lina's spine like nothing else her companion had uttered.

"Nobody will _ever_ take anything from me again."

* * *

Next Chapter: Hindered in body and spirit, Gourry's seen better days. And with Lina facing a plight of her own, he's left alone to deal with his own demons, both external and internal.

Notes: This chapter has gone through several major revisions, most notably the writing in of Inquisitor Lemner _after_ it was ready to post two weeks ago. What can I say? Kaitrin is a horrible person for making good suggestions at the most inconvenient times (I kid, Kait. You know I love your help!).

In any case, I enjoyed writing her. She added another facet to the motives of the pursuers, she's willful and talky (always fun), and maybe best of all, she gave Gaav some sorely lacking friction. I don't think he'd ever really been challenged before this chapter and it should be fun to see where it goes.

As always, thank you very much to my reviewer, Kaitrin. She's a far better author than I, and I strongly recommend you check out some of her works.

Reviewer Response:

How's the head, Sis? You don't have any lingering ill effects from its sudden collapse, I hope!

Kaitrin, thanks again for your help. You're totally right about this stuff being miles better than the previous junk. Although the setting and mystery element were fun, and I'd like to tackle them again one day . . .

Ichiban, thank you for your patience with the story (and everything else for that matter!). Hmm, to answer your question, Gaav's mission will be revealed in the next chapter. Hmm, that wasn't really an answer, was it? Oh well . . . And how much money will you be requiring to keep silent about my more humiliating blunders, anyway?

Miss Gabriev, I write as fast as I can, but usually end up going through multiple drafts of every chapter so it takes time. Which makes me wonder, has anyone noticed a significant difference in quality since I started working harder with each chapter? Anyways, don't be so quick to dismiss Lina as distrustful of Zel. What you saw was in Amelia's head and might not reflect reality at all . . .

Thank you very much for the praise, Raven. It's always a wonderful pick me up to hear that my work is "well written".

Brenda, I'd love to have more fanart for the story! If you'd like to drop me a line sometime to get the details on their looks, my e-mail is listed in my profile and, should you prefer, I can also be reached by AIM: Filing Sloth (aren't I the creative one?)

Stara, Lina actually mentioned the brooch in an early draft of the last chapter, but it didn't flow so well, as she had other things to think about, as you pointed out. In the next chapter, there's more light shed on Lina's thoughts about her sister though.

Masaki, thanks for the kind words! And yeah, it is getting darker, but I'm trying to keep the humor in it where I can. And, yes, Sylphiel will make her not so dramatic return two or three chapters down the road.

Always a pleasure to meet a new reader, Mr. Seeker! Well, in all honesty the story started out as a one-chapter idea—Lina vs. the vampire. Since then, it's grown, and although I have a general idea of where it's going, the twists surprise me as well. As for Zel, think of it less as Grou building himself a new body and more like him making himself at home in Zel's.

Thanks for reading, Rin Chan!

Until next time, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!


	44. Pursuit's End

The roaring was endless—twin waterfalls spaced a mile apart, endlessly plunging hundreds of feet to the river below—then they flowed together again, moving through Sairaag and finally out to sea.

Lina Inverse sat on the edge of the cliff, carelessly dangling her feet over the side and wearing a quiet smile that cut through her concerns like a hot knife through butter. This was a good place—a beautiful place. There were many fond memories here.

The sheer cliff face plunged straight down. A fall would certainly be lethal, but she had never been afraid. On the contrary, when she was here, she was fearless and felt if she could take flight. It was a silly idea—flight was an impossible dream, based on a child's belief in magic—but that made it no less appealing.

The view was breathtaking; at the base of the wall trees dotted the landscape and gradually gave way to farmland. Beyond lay the city itself, sprawling out until it touched the sea. This place—the memories, the landscape—never failed to leave her speechless. Well, at least for a few minutes. "These are the Tears of Ceiphied!" she explained to her laconic companion, almost shouting to be heard over the roar of falling water. "Twin waterfalls that supposedly represent the Flare Dragon's sympathy for humanity and its weakness. Quite a sight, huh?"

Contrary to what she had been hoping for, Gourry gave the spectacular scene before him a cursory look, acknowledged it with a terse little nod, and went back to his vigil without a word.

Gourry's reaction underscored the fact that he had changed; before, he probably would have grinned—she missed seeing him happy so much—and asked any number of stupid and inexplicably endearing questions. Instead, he was an impassive statue, constantly keeping watch. He loomed over her, just waiting for some excuse to snatch her up and spirit her away from danger; he had not strayed more than two feet from her side since their argument earlier.

_It's like having an obsessive shadow_, Lina thought glumly. "Hey," she said, patting a spot on the edge beside her, "Sit down. I wanna talk to you."

"I can talk from here," he replied, never taking his eyes off the surrounding trees.

"Sit down. _Now_." Lina jabbed the dirt beside her for emphasis.

Apparently, Gourry decided whatever unspeakable doom lurking in the woods was not _quite_ as frightening as an irate Lina; He quickly scrambled to sit down beside her, almost overbalancing and taking what would have been a lethal tumble down the mountain.

Lina laid a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Hey, careful," she chided, a wry grin creeping onto her face. "Are you that desperate to get away from me?"

Gourry shot her a questioning look and the sunlight revealed exactly how dark and bloodshot his eyes were. Apparently, he was no less perceptive than normal, as he read the humor in his companion's face and chuckled.

In that instant, Lina saw the man she cared for; he might be hiding behind pain, sorrow, and hate, but he was still there. And that was immensely comforting. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder with a sigh of contentment.

Thankfully, Gourry did not put his arm around her. She enjoyed his touch of course (so long as nobody else was around to see), but sometimes it was nice to be able to enjoy his presence on her terms. He was far more physical, but she asserted her claim upon him with no less enthusiasm.

This place was full of happy memories of a time before darkness had fallen. A smile slowly spread across Lina's face as she eagerly plunged into treasured personal history. She could almost hear the joyful laughter of two girls. Yes, even Luna—strict, structured, and irritatingly logical—could laugh. Somehow, that fact managed to surprise Lina every time she remembered it.

"She brought me up here once; my sister, I mean," Lina quietly said. If Gourry could hear her, he gave no indication. She might have been drowned out by the roar of the waterfall a few feet away. It did not really matter, though. "We were both kids at the time, but she was already taking care of me. I was feeling kinda sad back then, you know?"

"Yeah?"

Lina glanced up and found Gourry looking back down at her. He was listening then. And aside from the dark smudges under his eyes from a lack of sleep, he was himself—sweet and kind Gourry Gabriev. He might not remember tomorrow what she was talking about, but that was part of what made it so easy to open up to him.

Her smile swelled and receded in the space of a few seconds. "Mom and Dad were gone, Sis was working to take care of us, and I was . . ." Lina swallowed hard. "I was pretty miserable. Feeling useless and helpless. I wanted to run away, because I thought I was a burden on Sis. I never got to see her, as much as she was working. I thought she hated me." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day with nary a cloud to be seen.

"And . . .?" Gourry gently prodded her ribs with his elbow.

"Oh. Um, anyway, one day, she told me we were going on a trip. I don't know how she could afford to leave her job like that; we were living lean and spent ever copper we had on food. For her to take that much time, I think she must have had something stashed away for a rainy day."

"Why would anyone go on a trip when it was raining . . .?" Gourry mused.

"It's just an expression, bait for brains."

"Oh."

"Anyway, we ended up here. That day we spent together was one of the best of my life."

Gourry smiled warmly. "That's nice. What'd you do?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Lina replied with a chuckle. "Well, not really _nothing_, but nothing of any merit whatsoever. Which, if you knew my Sis, you'd know was a pretty big accomplishment for her."

"Oh." Gourry was unable to hide his bewilderment and grinned at her sheepishly.

"Well, what I mean is that we didn't do anything important," Lina replied in answer to his unspoken question. "We fished, picked flowers—she showed me a few plants that were edible—and best of all, just _talked_."

Gourry nodded in understanding. "Oh yeah, I know how much you like doing that." He shied away a bit when he caught the scowl on her face. "What?"

"I don't talk _that_ much," Lina grumbled. After being so rudely interrupted, she paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. Thoughts about her sister led to memories best left buried—Luna's murder. Those memories blurred and bled into their most recent encounter. And then, her train of thought spiraled down to a terminus; the murky uncertainty of the future loomed before her, like a wall of darkness.

There was no real use in thinking too far ahead. She was very much a "Burn bridges when you come to them" sort of woman. And yet, she was going home to . . . what? Murder her sister? That was the obvious answer. Luna had become the very thing they had both fought to destroy.

Of course, it seemed so simple in theory. Kill a vampire? Pfft. All in a day's work for Slayer extraordinaire, Lina Inverse. Still, there was the minor quibble that said vampire had taught Lina every skill she possessed. And said skills had always been lacking in Luna's eyes.

She fetched a deep sigh; well, no sense in dwelling on it now.

"Two days to Sairaag, I'd guess," she coolly explained "assuming we try to avoid the main roads. I mean, we can't keep off of them forever. At the very least we've got to head upstream a bit and cross at the bridge, for instance." She glanced over at the river roaring along a few feet away and frowned. "No, we definitely can't ford it. That's for sure. I think we might want to—"

"Lina?"

"What?" Lina glared at Gourry, irked at the interruption.

Gourry easily deflected her glare by nodding at her hand. When she glanced down at it, she had the sudden sensation that she had been kicked in the stomach. Lying in her open palm, glinting in the midday sun, was the brooch Sis had given her. She stared at it for a moment before willing her fingers to close. She found herself praying that her hand would stay steady. It was a pointless effort; her expression must have revealed her feelings as plainly as if she had spoken them aloud.

"You don't have to be scared," Gourry gently explained. He reached over and took her hand with his good one, hiding the brooch from her view.

"Who's scared!" Lina demanded with a great deal of false bravado.

Normally, Gourry would have said something foolish to escalate the tension; Lina found herself fervently _hoping_ that he might mention how much she was shaking or—Ceiphied take her for admitting it, even to herself—how she was on the verge of tears. She glared into his eyes, silently pleading with him to challenge her. She wanted so badly to pound him, to feign indignance at his gall in suggesting that the beautiful and powerful Lina Inverse might actually be frightened.

Infuriatingly, the moron did something entirely unexpected: instead of putting his foot in his mouth and giving her an easy out, he offered a solution; somewhere in hell, she imagined that Shabranigdo must have shivered as the temperature dropped a few degrees.

"We don't have to go back. We could just leave."

"_Leave_!" Lina incredulously parroted. "No." She shook her head, slowly at first, but with increasing surety as she thought things through. "No, I can't do that, Gourry. I have to . . ."

"To what?" he prodded. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

At the moment, she really needed the support. The sensation of being kicked in the stomach had turned to something else. Now she just felt weak—sickeningly weak. The feeling spread from her center until her entire body felt like lead.

She had opened her mouth, meaning to give Gourry a perfectly logical and well thought out answer, but nothing was there. She closed her mouth with a near audible snap as she realized the frightening truth: she didn't know _what_ she hoped to accomplish by going back. All she knew was that something refused to let her go. Hellmaster, Gourry, Zelgadis, Rezo, Jillas, and her sister—everything started and ended in Sairaag.

She gazed down on the city below, seeing it in a totally new light—the way it just seemed to sprawl across the land like a growing malignance. Although there was no way to tell from this distance, Lina remembered how ramshackle a lot of the homes were; even the high-class homes tended to be in need of repairs. It was an old and dark place. She had just been seeing it through rose tinted lenses before—happy memories from a childhood long spoiled by time and pain.

"We're going . . . to sort things out," she finally replied. Her response felt so weak and stupid, and she knew even before he shook his head that Gourry was having none of it.

"I'd be happier if we left."

"Just up and leave, huh? Where would we go?"

"Away," Gourry hastily replied.

"Away, huh?" Lina sighed. "Away's a long ways off—outside the empire I think. How would we survive?"

The glint of happiness in Gourry's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by the flint that had become so familiar lately. "I'll protect you," he said with a terse nod. "Nobody's gonna hurt you, Lina."

Lina frowned and barely resisted the urge to shy away from the swordsman. She hated that look—could almost hate _him_ when he wore it. "Yeah, about that . . ." She fetched another deep sigh and scooted away from Gourry. It was time to go; the view had become a lot less pleasant and happy memories, dark.

She stood and stretched, grimacing at the faint nagging of old injuries—some days she just felt so tired—before turning to look down at her companion. Gentle Gourry was gone again, replaced by the cold swordsman.

"Gourry, I think it's time you heard how Rezo the Red's story ended."

* * *

_A voice in the dark cackled with glee as it exclaimed, "You will be my greatest creation!" The creator—a stout man—almost as wide as he was tall, with a bushy beard—hovered somewhere in the dark. It was always dark here, in memories. And darkness was often associated with pain. _

_Such was the case at the moment. The creator rummaged around for a moment in the shadows; the horribly musical sound of metal on metal conflicted with his off tune humming to create a mad cacaphony._

_Always, it hoped that the creator would be disappointed—that whatever cruel implement he searched for would elude him. And as always, it was disappointed. A mad laugh invariably sounded, followed by cruel metal held aloft in triumph. And a few eternal moments later, agony._

The cloaked figure came back to itself with a noise that was somewhere between a gurgle and a shriek. It was still in agony, but it was different; the very state of _life_ was pain. With every rattling breath it drew, an invisible hand cruelly squeezed its heart. This was due to the creator's "improvements", but it had no knowledge of that fact. Nor would it have cared. All that mattered was that it hurt—and with the pain came fury.

That anger had led to the death of the creator, yet the pain remained. Knowing nothing except torment, it had gone deep into its own dim memories, beyond the time of its birth, in an attempt to find the source of the pain. Its efforts had yielded a childish face harried by years of pain, framed in a wild mane the color of blood. The hate flowed, eliciting a burbling hiss from dry lips. There was more.

Further reflection brought a second image, a more painful one. Two women, just past the cusp of childhood, who shared the same face, the same flowing amethyst tresses, and the same pale complexion of the dead. Red fury was replaced by cold pain, dimmer than their lifeless purple eyes and deep down, the beast died a little more. And it knew the redhead had taken them—the ones it had cared for.

It had searched its thoughts for something more: some scrap of information that might direct its fury. The irritating scratch of a quill on parchment was the first hint that it had found something new. Eventually, the haze of the past had parted to reveal a name scrawled in crimson—the same color of the tormentor's hair.

Eagerly seizing this new piece of the puzzle, it had searched for her ceaselessly. It had picked up her trail, more by animalistic instinct than any skill, and had tracked her from the city to the wild. It had overtaken her twice now, and twice it had been wounded—brought to the brink of death by a sword: the Sword of Light, although it was unaware of how it knew that.

And yet, both times it had come back from the edge of the abyss, stronger than before. The creator had been more correct in his boasts than he could have ever known; his creation was adapting and growing more powerful with each passing day.

A brilliant blue eye turned and regarded the corpses it had collected thus far: a farmer and a pair of Sairaag guards. How it knew that they were from Sairaag was another mystery. The markings on their tabards caused some long forgotten memories to stir. It mattered not, however. All that mattered was Lina Inverse. Lina Inverse was the source of its pain; Lina Inverse had wronged it in some vital way; Lina Inverse would die, and take the pain and anger with her. Lina Inverse . . .

Its lips moved endlessly, mouthing the Slayer's name as it began to work on becoming more than what it was.

* * *

"Captain, what in Ceiphied's name are we doing?"

The petulance and utter whininess in Inquisitor Lemner's voice brought a genuine smile to Gaav's face. His tone full of feigned surprise, he said, "Miss Lemner, I thought you knew. We're in the process of apprehending a group of fugitives." He pointed off in the distance at a small wooden bridge. "The river is deep and swift, Miss Inquisitor, and this is the only place to cross for miles. You'll further note, that the trail we were following led in this direction. Rather then spend hours picking through the wilderness for our wayward fugitives, I would prefer to wait at their obvious destination." He smirked sardonically and added, "It's called 'efficiency', Inquisitor. We're getting our job done as well as possible with a minimum of wasted effort."

"I am well aware of that, Captain," she waspishly replied. "I am referring to the fact that we're skulking in the brush like common _criminals_." Her lips curled in distaste at the comparison. Obviously, she was so far above reproach that the very idea of her and criminals having something in common was incomprehensible.

Gaav amused himself for a moment just watching her fret. She pawed the brambles that seemed to cling to her violet hair, doing more harm than good; in her impatience, she was making herself look even more disheveled than before. Her robes fared little better. Loose threads and rips abound in the formerly opulent uniform. Her cheeks were flushed and the look in her eyes—oh, he could only imagine the hateful thoughts running through her skull.

Hastily composing his expression, lest she see exactly how much he was enjoying her discomfort, Gaav cleared his throat and nodded at something on the ground near Lemner's feet. "Snake."

Lemner half jumped, half crawled closer to him, glaring darkly.

He sensed she was on the verge of exploding. The color in her cheeks had gone from a bright red to almost purple. Such a brat, he mused. The way she looked at him, one might have thought he had put the snake at her feet. "If you hadn't insisted on wearing that dress, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"It's _not_ a dress," she hissed through gritted teeth. She glanced downwards, her brow furrowed in thought and he could almost read the thoughts on her face; stay seated uncomfortably close to the serpent or move even closer to Gaav. He imagined that it must have been a difficult choice to make. Finally, with her shoulders slumped in defeat, she crawled a few inches closer to her tormentor. "These are the holy vestments of—"

"The _point_ is," Gaav interrupted, "your shiny little dress can be seen from a mile away. A blind man could track you, Miss Lemner; and our targets are anything but."

"Still, I fail to see why I have to put up with this. This isn't how it's supposed to work, Captain." Lemner reached down and absentmindedly scratched her leg as she spoke.

"Work?" Gaav echoed with a cocked eyebrow.

"Work," she repeated. "When the criminals show up, they're going to turn themselves in, because it's the right thing to do."

"I see," Gaav said with a nod. He refrained from mentioning the less than submissive circus performers they had executed yesterday. Apparently, Lemner had a very selective memory when it came to things that conflicted with her outlook on things.

Gaav nodded at the leg she was attacking with gusto; she had hiked the hem of her robe up to a scandalous mid thigh level. She had nice legs, or rather, she would have, had they not been covered with angry red splotches. "How much experience do you have in the field, Inquisitor?"

Lemner's irritation seemed to scale back a few notches and her chest swelled with pride. "Captain Gaav, I will have you know that I have been involved in _dozens_ of apprehensions in my years as a servant of Ceiphied. Those who have committed crimes against the church tremble at the mention of my name!"

"And that's all _very_ impressive, Inquisitor." Gaav said with an utterly insincere smile. Naturally, she returned it. "But, _field _work." He gestured at their surroundings. "The great outdoors, I mean."

"Oh, well, I must confess a certain lack of experience when it comes to these sorts of situations."

"That would explain why you're sitting in poison ivy."

Lemner shifted her position slightly and muttered, "Poison what, now?"

"Poison _ivy_," Gaav repeated with a nod at the crushed plant she had just moved away from. "You know, the stuff you've been using as a cushion for the last few days, because it was more 'comfortable' than brambles."

"You could have said something," Lemner muttered as she scratched the blotches on her legs.

"Oh, I wouldn't step on your toes like that, Inquisitor. You've just done such an amazing job with our mission so far, I assumed there was some very good reason you were parking your rear in a highly irritating bit of flora." Before she had a chance to spew any more venom at him, he added, "I'm guessing you don't know how to treat a poison ivy infection?"

"No," she begrudgingly admitted as she continued to scratch.

"Well, normally, we would have had Baker whip something up; the guy was a walking apothecary. However, since he's no longer with us . . ." Gaav had to bite back a growl as he spoke; Baker had been one of the first casualties in yesterday's operation. "I guess I may as well share a home remedy that's helped me in the past."

"Any suggestions would be appreciated, Captain."

Gaav cocked his head, feigning the air of a man with deep and insightful thoughts. "Well . . . the harder you scratch that stuff, the quicker it goes away." With near impossible effort, he managed to keep a straight face as she intensified her efforts.

* * *

Lina and Gourry had been walking side by side for a while. Neither of them had spoken for a few minutes—not since she had finished the tale of Rezo the Red. When her last desperate words had faded away, an unpleasant silence had fallen.

Several times, Lina had looked up, meaning to explain the parallels between Rezo and Gourry, but the look on his face had stopped her short every time. Gourry was thinking hard—meticulously picking through the words for meaning. And she understood that telling him her fears would not have the same impact as his learning it for himself.

Watching his mind work was exhausting; his expression was intense, like the sun beating down on a hot summer day. And since Lina hated the heat with a passion (a fear of the dark was far from the only reason she slept during the day), she turned her attention to a cooler target: the river flowing nearby.

The water was deep, but flowed swiftly; crossing before the bridge was not an option. Not unless they wanted to take a trip over the falls, in any case. She fetched a deep sigh of annoyance. Everything had gone so wrong lately: Gourry's troubles, Zel leaving, and now Amelia and Jillas were missing. She had been so caught up with her troubles with Gourry that Amelia's whereabouts had barely even registered as a concern.

But now that she was deliberately avoiding thinking about Gourry, Amelia naturally came to the forefront of her mind. Lina was very fond of the girl. There was no point in even trying to deny it. She had taught Amelia some rudimentary techniques and even gone so far as to give her Luna's medallion. If anyone had told her three months ago that she would be handing off her most prized possession to someone she had not even met yet, she probably would have laughed at them . . . and probably hurt them for good measure.

Their relationship had developed with frightening speed—even more startling in the sense that she had never _wanted_ to care about any of these people. She had been alone for so long—had thought that Gourry, Amelia, and Zel were just passing through her life like all the others—that she lacked the first inkling of how to take care of them.

Lina understood that she was responsible for all of them. Gourry might be with Sylphiel now, living a happy life in Sairaag. Zel would have been . . . well, he might still be human, or at least as human as he was—the answer to that enigma still eluded her. Amelia would still be doing her shows. And the fuzz face . . . She grimaced. Well, there was no telling where Jillas would be right now. Maybe he would have blown himself up or something.

Of course, she also wondered where she would be if she had never met them—possibly dead (more of a near certainty to be honest). Well, that was far from a cheerful idea, so she hastily abandoned that train of thought.

Still, she was the experienced one here; these people were her charges. She was responsible for them. _And boy, haven't I done a bang up job in watching out for them_, she thought. _Zel's run off, Amelia and fuzz face are missing and in who knows what kinda trouble, and Gourry . . ._

She was jolted out of her thoughts as they came upon the bridge. For some inexplicable reason, she felt fear at the sight of the structure. It was nothing elaborate—a simple wooden construction, wide enough for a horse and cart and well worn; however, it felt like a sign. It was the first indicator of real civilization that they had seen in weeks and somehow she had the impression that it was an ending of sorts. Once they crossed, they would be on the road to Sairaag. And there was no going back.

Gourry must have sensed something; he paused at the same moment she did and eyed the bridge suspiciously. She was tempted to ask him if he had gotten the same impression as her, but closed her mouth before the words came out. He would think her silly for suggesting such a thing and, worse, would likely seize it as an opportunity to turn her away from home. And as much as she wanted to run, she had to see things through.

Without warning, he turned to her and yelled, "Run!"

* * *

Even as Gourry struggled to reason through what Lina had told him—an incredibly difficult struggle, as he was far more perceptive than logical—he never wavered in his duty: constant vigilance to keep her safe.

It was the road that set him on edge, first; it was well worn—cart tracks had cut deep ruts in the dirt path. It was obviously fairly heavily trafficked for its location. And yet, there was no sign of . . . well, _anything_ in either direction as far as he could see. No carts, travelers, hunters—it could have been a coincidence, but something in his gut told him otherwise.

Secondly, there was the eerie hush that had fallen over the entire area. Not just between him and Lina either. No, aside from the faint roar of the falls a mile or so back, the area was deathly silent. Something had spooked the animals.

And finally, the intuition that had saved him many times in the past spoke up. Worse, it did more than just whisper that something was wrong. It positively _screamed_ at him that this was a trap. They were out in the open, and heavy cover on both sides of the road could be concealing anything. The road twisted off into the woods in one direction and towards the river and the bridge in the other.

After that, things had gone from bad to worse in a matter of seconds. He had turned to Lina and told her to "run", but what he had actually meant was, "Gee, you know, I think we might want to turn around and head back the way we came, because I'm not really comfortable with our going into a chokepoint."

Apparently, Lina had misunderstood him; she bolted without a moment's hesitation, but instead of heading back the way they had come, she darted out into the open, onto the bridge.

The second after she lunged, Gourry followed. He wondered briefly at her lack of tactical discretion for a moment before coming to the obvious conclusion: whereas he had received military training—squad tactics and whatnot—she had been taught to deal with a single foe at a time. He supposed it made sense; after all, how often did people run across multiple werewolves and vampires? And if that was the case, why not charge out into the open and expose them both to attacks from all sides? Understanding her motives changed nothing, however. Either way, she had pretty much gotten them both killed, he darkly mused. She was throwing her life away.

That thought sent a strange heat coursing through his limbs, invigorating him even as it sapped his ability to reason. The flame within him became an inferno when he saw the first soldiers erupt from cover to block their exodus from the bridge. He knew even before he turned that a similar scene was playing out behind him.

Without thinking, he reached for the Sword of Light, meaning to kill every man who so much as considered the notion of trying to take his Lina away. Oddly enough, his sword hand moved freely towards his weapon; the numbness had been washed away in the face of his anger. He wanted to hold the sword—to use it to dispense justice to the men before him. They wanted to upset the delicate order of his world? Well, by Ceiphied, he would cut them down to the last man. Never mind that they were his former comrades, clad in the colors of Sairaag. Never mind that he recognized some of them, albeit more by stance and appearance than name.

He took a step forward—would have taken another and drawn deadly light, had he not been stopped cold by the only force greater than his fury: Lina Inverse. She flung her arm out to block his path. "Take it easy, Jellyfish," she hissed between clenched teeth. "We're not in trouble yet."

She sounded so confident—annoyed but no less capable—that Gourry found himself daring to believe her. Lina had not led them wrong yet; granted there had been some close calls, but they had always managed to scrape through somehow, right?

Gourry took a deep, shaky breath and forced himself to relax. A voice in his head whispered—told him that Lina could die if he refused to take action. In that instant, he saw her writhing on the end of a spear, just before she had been ripped nearly in half. _That had happened! _the voice whispered. _It could happen again!_

He shook his head in a vain attempt to escape his own fears. Her death had not been real; she had told him so. None of those events had been real. He took another breath, deep and incredibly cleansing, and hardened his resolve. If they were going to die today, he would go first. It was as simple as that.

Anger receded to a point just below a boil. And, unnoticed by the swordsman, with the temptation of violence denied, the strength drained out of his hand, leaving it as dead and useless as before.

* * *

"We're not in trouble yet," Lina sarcastically repeated under her breath. "Yeah, right." Well, _that_ was about as bald a lie as she had ever made, but it had the desired effect: Gourry seemed to be a bit calmer, if not as solid as he usually was. But, hey, she would take what she could get at this point. On her list of things that she wanted to get done today, picking a fight when they were outnumbered four to one was right near the bottom. It might still come to that, but it would certainly be nice to have a plan before they waded in with swords swinging.

She turned to face the near end of the bridge, a mask of bewilderment on her face. "I'm sorry," she quietly asked, "is there some sort of problem? We're just simple travelers on our way to . . . oh hell." Lina dropped her sweet and innocent façade as soon as she laid eyes on the leader of the soldiers. "It's you."

"It's me," the Captain replied with a terse nod.

"You're the guy who killed Xellos." Lina quashed her anger before it had a chance to take hold; she was the only one with any sense here at the moment and if she lost her temper, she and Gourry would both end up dead.

"Xellos?" the grizzled soldier repeated thoughtfully. "Xellos . . ." He shrugged dismissively. "I've killed a lot of people in my time; you can't expect me to remember them all. I assume, though, that you're referring to the priest?" Lina's expression must have spoken for her, because he grinned wickedly a moment later. "I thought so."

"I hope you're proud. It takes a tough guy to kill an unarmed old man," Lina said with a sneer. "By the way, I don't think I caught your name last time," she added. "We were sort of in a hurry." Her eyes darted left, then right. She and Gourry might be able to make it over the railing into the water; the problem with that was that they really had nowhere to go from there.

"Gaav, SCG. And feel free to jump. My men could use the practice." The captain signaled with a flick of his wrist and half a dozen crossbows were raised in unison.

Lina frowned as she eyed the deadly weapons. "Sharpshooters, huh?"

Gaav fetched a deep sigh. "No. No, not really. I wasn't being sarcastic when I said they needed the practice."

That was when Lina noted that none of the men seemed terribly comfortable with the weapons they were cradling and, if she wasn't mistaken, one of them was trying to load a bolt in his weapon backwards. She was unable to suppress a giggle in spite of their dire situation.

The captain scowled and motioned for the soldiers to lower their weapons. "Put those things away before you hurt yourselves." He fixed a glare on Lina and growled, "I hope you're not entertaining thoughts of escape; I happen to be an excellent marksman, and could put a shot in any of several sensitive spots in your anatomy before you made it ten feet."

Almost lost amidst the gurgling of the water, Lina heard a hiss—the sharp intake of breath from Gourry. She resisted turning, but even so, she could sense that he was absolutely furious; Gaav's suggestion that he would do her harm got under Gourry's skin like nothing else could.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Lina raised her voice, not so subtly reminding Gourry that she was here and still in command of the situation. "Well, I guess this isn't a social call, so do you wanna tell me how you found us?"

Gaav snorted in amusement. "You and Gabriev have all the subtlety of bulls in a china shop. It's hard to slip through the cracks when you're leaving a trail of mangled corpses behind you. Did you really think we weren't going to catch up?"

"Mangled corpses . . .?" Lina quizzically muttered. She shot Gourry a suspicious look. Had he . . .? She shook her head. No, she had been with him every step of the way. There was no way he could have—or would have, she amended—snuck off to do anything like that. Despite what had happened with the farmer, he was no serial murderer.

Before she could respond to Gaav's charges, something odd caught her eye. She cocked an eyebrow and nodded at the bedraggled . . . _thing_ shambling up behind Gaav. "What . . . um, is that a scarecrow?"

* * *

Rachel Lemner had seen better days. Her robes were undeniably a shamble—torn, soaked, wrinkled, and mangled by days of miserable travel. Even she begrudgingly admitted that. There was barely enough left to keep her decent. And where she was exposed, angry red blotches mottled her pale skin. The captain's remedy took some time to kick in, apparently.

She impatiently shoved purple bangs out of her eyes and huffed indignantly. "I am Inquisitor Lemner," she spat, sounding authoritative only in her own ears. She shouldered Gaav aside and stepped onto the bridge. "And you," she said, jabbing a finger in the redhead's direction accusingly, "are heretics, guilty of crimes against the holy Church of Cephied. Pardon me for one moment, please. I have the official writ here somewhere."

The girl shared a confused look with her companion before shrugging. "Um, alright . . . take your time."

Lemner nodded at her appreciatively as reached down to her left hip, looking for her satchel. Instead she found only bare skin. She glanced down and blushed a bit.

Apparently, Lemner's satchel and its contents had been a casualty of the trip. A long gash in the gold hued fabric was the only evidence that anything had ever been there. Her personal effects: medallion of Ceiphied, prayer book, and most tragically, _her speeches_—they were all gone.

This was an unmitigated disaster! Honestly, was she supposed to cite the penalties from memory? As much as it pained her to admit it, Lemner had not yet memorized every nuance and phrasing of the law. She would one day, of course—was already working on it, in fact, and had the gist of most of the religious code. But how did that help her now? How in Ceiphied's name was she supposed to pronounce sentence and preside over an execution without her carefully prepared notes?

A sudden surge in irritation had her digging at her neck with ragged fingernails (Like everything else about her, they had been so neatly groomed before this awful trip) as she considered the horrible wrongness of everything that had happened. This was not how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to catch the criminals, see them taken care of, and go back to the city to receive her well-deserved accolades. The unfairness of it all overwhelmed her and Lemner momentarily forgot where she was. She stomped angrily, her hands curled into tight fists at her sides and her face screwed up in a pouting scowl—her resemblance to a petulant child was striking.

Lemner heard mocking laughter and her pout instantly became a snarl. She glared at the peasant standing defiantly before her. The heretic was laughing—laughing at _her_. The idiotic child should have been on her knees pleading for mercy. She obviously lacked the slightest inkling of how much trouble she was in. Or maybe it was hysterical laughter; yes, that had to be it.

"Young lady," Lemner said haughtily, "I think you'll find that this is hardly a laughing matter. You are Amelia Seyruun, I presume?"

For all her bluster and arrogance, Rachel had not been appointed a Holy Inquisitor without reason; she had a knack for reading people, and what she saw now gave her the irritating sense that she had made a mistake. The girl's fiery eyes widened slightly in surprise at the mention of Amelia's name—that was true—but it was more from concern than any sense of self preservation.

This was not Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun.

* * *

Even as Lemner and Inverse dueled with words, another more serious battle was raging. Not blade to blade combat, although there was no shortage of thrusts and parries in the conflict. No, this was a test of wills between Gaav and Gabriev.

While the women traded barbs—neither of them was terribly pleased judging from their tones—Gaav probed the deserter for a weak point. He allowed himself the luxury of wasting a single moment to admire; it was a rare thing, finding someone as skilled as Gabriev obviously was.

The swordsman's legs were slightly bent; to the untrained eye, he would have appeared to be utterly relaxed, although in truth, he was ready to spring at a second's notice. He was muscular, but not bulky and Gaav had no doubt that he was quick and could close the distance between himself and any man surrounding the bridge within seconds. His left hand rested lightly on his scabbard, his thumb pressed against the crossguard of his sword.

Gaav had seen the technique before; in his younger days he had lived on the battlefield and witnessed every style under the sun. It was an old form, with a name in a language he did not know—surely conceived in a long dead kingdom. It was based on the idea of efficiency; ideally, Gabriev could kill his foe with the simple action of drawing his sword. By subtly loosening the sword in its sheath with his thumb, Gabriev could have an inch—maybe two—of steel drawn before his opponent knew the fight had started. Seemingly, a miniscule advantage, but swordplay was decided in instants, not seconds.

All in all, Gabriev's stance was a marvelous structure, and Gaav drank it in as an art critic might appreciate a fine sculpture. It was a shame that so much talent had been wasted on a worthless deserter. Oh well. Gaav heaved a mental sigh as he shifted his focus from appreciation to deconstruction.

As if by magic, cracks appeared in the sculpture. Gabriev's breaths were quick—not the least bit unusual for someone under duress, but a soldier should know better; wasted energy rolled off him in almost palpable waves. Secondly, the subtleties of his stance were anything but; Gaav had discerned his drawing technique with no effort. The former guard's hand was injured as well. It hung uselessly at his side, and should he fight, it would almost certainly be with his off hand. Finally, there was an intense fury in his blue eyes that even made Gaav's grin falter slightly; this was a man who was looking for a chance to die. Granted, he would probably try to take as many people with him as possible, but . . .

"Captain Gaav!" Lemner huffily squeaked.

Gaav sighed wearily. Lemner had reached the end of his patience. Time and again she had tested him, second-guessing him on every decision he had made. And it had cost lives. If not for the damnable pile of paperwork he would almost certainly have to deal with, he would have removed her from the mission long ago.

"Captain, I am addressing you!"

Gaav flicked his gaze downward as his lips curled back in a fierce snarl. He looked down on her without making the slightest effort to hide his utter loathing. Displaying a remarkable amount of willpower, he slipped his hand into his coat and wrapped his fingers around a cigar, instead of around Lemner's throat. Even after taking the first puff—something that normally softened his vilest moods—he was still furious.

Shabranigdo take this spoiled brat, who had caused him nothing but headaches.

* * *

As she gazed up at Gaav, Lemner was suddenly hit by an epiphany so obvious that she winced as if she had been struck: she was no longer in control of the situation. Somewhere along the way—perhaps when Gaav's silly underlings had gotten themselves killed, although that could hardly have been blamed on her—she had lost control of the situation.

A memory of her childhood leapt to mind; one of her instructors, Madame Grusella (a dreadful woman with a ridiculous penchant for altruism) had once told Lemner, "To tug on a dragon's tail is to invite his wrath."

At the time, she had dismissed Madame Grusella's admonishment with a smug grin and a snort of derision. After all, Rachel Lemner had been a special child—a daughter of one of the most influential and wealthy families in the city. And the notion that she might be held accountable for her actions was, quite frankly, laughable.

And yet, as Gaav drew himself up to his full terrifying height (Ceiphied preserve her; had he always been so tall?) she felt a horrible chill creep up her spine. She had researched the man; he had been a highly decorated soldier in the last great war before "retiring" to the quiet life of an officer of the SCG. Dismissing him as a tired old curmudgeon—a relic of the past—she had assumed his sense of duty and loyalty would make him easy to control.

And now she was finally coming to understand how wrong she had been. Madame Grusella's warning rang terribly true: Lemner had teased the dragon one time too many and its dreadful gaze was fixed upon her.

Lemner shuffled back a step and almost tripped over her own feet. Her moment of weakness shocked her back to reality; everyone was watching her back down to a subordinate.

Any sense of self-preservation was overwhelmed by faith in bureaucracy. She was Rachel Lemner—_Inquisitor_ Rachel Lemner, she mentally corrected—and she would not be bullied by some dullard of a soldier with a chip on his shoulder.

So, she squared her shoulders, harrumphed loudly, and mustered all the dignity a half dressed woman with a maddening compulsion to scratch could muster—quite a surprising amount, all things considered. "_Mister_ Gaav," she haughtily uttered, intentionally foregoing the use of his rank. Oh, she would put him in his place!

"Excuse me," the redhead piped up, interrupting just when she was about to launch into a brilliant dressing down of the captain. "I hate to interrupt—you two look like you have a _lot_ to talk about—but what do you want with Amelia?" The look on the girl's face betrayed the fact that she already knew.

But, never one to miss a chance to educate, elaborate, and enumerate, Lemner spun on heel to face the redhead. "Your friend, has been convicted of heresy, conspiring against the Holy Empire, attempted murder of the High Priest of Ceiphied, and . . ." She paused and scrunched up her nose as if smelling something unappealing. In truth, she was struggling to recall the rest of the charges—accursed luck; how could she not have noticed her satchel was gone? "Cruelty to animals!" she blurted out triumphantly.

There was a long silence in which everyone—fugitive and soldier alike—stared at her as if she had snakes slithering out of her ears. She cleared her throat and fidgeted uncomfortably under the ocular onslaught. Oh, for goodness sake! What was wrong with these people? A crime was a crime, no matter how small, and they all carried a price. She finally huffed indignantly and explained, "She scattered the High Priest's prize charger over an area approximately ten yards in diameter. If that's not cruelty, I'd be interested to hear what you call it." She quickly shifted topics before the girl could answer. Just from simple observation—smug look and hands planted firmly on her hips—Lemner could tell she was a sarcastic one. And she could definitely do without any cheek at the moment.

"I am not totally without mercy," she stated with a grand gesticulation. The collar of her robe threatened to surrender the last vestiges of form or purpose and Lemner found herself scrabbling to keep it on her shoulders. "If you cooperate in my investigation, I can guarantee you and your companion leniency; we can forgo the Rites of Purification—you would be absolved of any guilt with the Flare Dragon—and dispense with your sentence immediately."

Inquisitor Lemner's grin widened and her breath quickened at the mention of the Rites. The Rites of Purification; they were exquisite in their simplicity and agony—designed to purge darkness from the soul in the most literal sense possible: through bloodletting—and for particularly heinous crimes, amputation.

In the face of such a dire threat, she had expected many things: begging and pleading would have been the most likely response. A slightly quavering voice, rich with fear, as the accused confessed their crimes was another common response. But, never in her career had Lemner heard a criminal laugh at the promise of torture.

It just was not done. She felt as if the smile was frozen on her face and she had sudden urge to join in on the laughter. The entire situation was so incredulous, it seemed almost right to laugh at it. She stood there, lost somewhere between mirth and hatred of the woman who had the nerve to belittle her and _not_ be Amelia Seyruun.

* * *

Lina shook her head in bemusement. The more the Inquisitor talked, the more it became apparent that she had more than a few screws loose. Maybe it was her utterly bedraggled appearance or her speech. It might have been her smile—Lina had the distinct impression that she was observing a vampire on the prowl when Lemner grinned.

"Hold on a second. Let me make sure I understand the deal here," Lina said with a snort of amusement. There might not be a way out of this, but she would sooner die than grovel before Lemner. "You're offering to kill us if I betray our friend, instead of _torturing_ and killing us if I refuse. Um, gee, I need to think about that for a second." She made a show of rubbing her chin as if pondering deep and terribly important matters. "Hmm, I'm not very keen on that idea. How about this? You and your goon squad walk away and I might let you live."

Gaav threw his head back and laughed boisterously. "I like that! You've got verve, Inverse! But as much fun as this has been . . ." He stepped forward onto the bridge, his heavy boots echoing ominously on the planks underfoot—not more than ten feet from her now. " . . .It's time to get down to business." There was a flash of light on steel and a loud crack; the wood at his feet splintered under the impact of his blade. Its length nearly matched his height and she could only imagine how heavy it was. And yet, he had moved it in the space of an instant, as if it had all the heft of a feather. This guy was _good_.

Lina grimaced as Gaav casually leaned on the hilt of his enormous weapon. As if they actually needed more trouble; now they had a swordsman who probably rivaled Gourry in skill on their butts. Oh, this was going to be fun. "So," she said, with a nod at Gaav's formidable blade, "compensating much?"

"Do you _ever_ get tired of hearing yourself talk?" Gaav snorted, belching a plume of smoke. "It's not going to work. You and Gabriev aren't getting away and you're not buying time for your friend. Three of my best are on her trail, even as we speak. I expect she's already dead, just like those other circus freaks."

* * *

"Circus freaks . . .?" Lina quizzically repeated. She was not so dense that she misunderstood Gaav's meaning. Rather, she was having trouble making herself believe what she had just heard. "All of them?" she asked. Her temper flared when he nodded, and she snarled "They were innocent! Is that how you get your jollies? Killing helpless people?"

"Hardly helpless," Gaav corrected with a shake of his head. "They put up quite a fight. I was impressed."

"You were impressed," Lina repeated darkly. "Well, I'm glad you were entertained." She shot a glance at Gourry. If he was listening to their conversation, he gave no indication. His eyes burned with a quiet fury; his gaze never wavered from Gaav. She felt an agonizing pang of pity. If Gourry had been so deeply affected by the loss of his family, how would Amelia react to the news?

She fixed her glare on Lemner and spat a single word. "Why?"

Gaav was silent, his face an impassive mask behind the smoke of his cigar. For her part, Lemner's arrogant grin had faltered somewhat and she looked almost confused.

Lina shook her head and laughed derisively. "You don't even _know_ why, do you?"

Lemner recovered from her moment of confusion and proudly exclaimed, "Heretics!" as if the word was the answer to all of life's problems.

"Bull!" Lina snarled. The soldiers surrounding them uttered a collective gasp at her insolence and she thought for a second that even Gaav had raised an eyebrow. Even the most hardened of criminals feared the reprisals involved in defying an Inquisitor. The horrors of the Rites of Purification were all too real.

Lina was beyond caring about such trivial matters though. She had a death sentence; what was the point in mincing words now? At the very least, she intended to see things set right before she died. Somehow.

"Why were they heretics?" Lina barely resisted the urge to draw her sword as she continued. She would have enjoyed nothing more at this point than making Lemner pay. "Somehow, I doubt they collectively decided to turn their backs on the church. Why did they have to die?"

"Because, they were heretics," Lemner replied in a cool tone. Her expression belied her true feelings, however. Her cheeks had taken on a bright red flush that had nothing to do with the rash.

"Yeah, say that enough and it might be true, right? By Ceiphied, you're pathetic. Can you do anything besides parrot what your superiors throw at you?" In her mind's eye, Lina could see this woman smiling—could hear the dim echo of her _laughing_—as dozens of innocents were slaughtered.

Lina was not so arrogant that she thought they were all guilt free; the only firsthand knowledge she had of the performers was that, in a small way, they had contributed to one of the happiest days of her life. If that had been the only thing she knew, she might not have reacted so strongly, but there was more to it: they had been Amelia's people. And Amelia had been one of the kindest individuals Lina had ever known. That spoke volumes about those who had raised her, loved her, and called her a friend.

And for this . . . this spineless _bitch_ to speak of them like vermin, to call them "heretics" and expect it to make what she had done okay . . .

Something in Lina's furious gaze must have touched Lemner, but instead of cowing her, it seemed to embolden her. She savagely raked her matted purple hair from her face took a step forward. "I will _not_ be judged by a common girl like yourself. I am an Inquisitor of Church of—"

"What you are," Lina snarled, "is a worthless coward who's too stupid to think for herself. Take your Ceiphied garbage and shove it!" She understood that she was talking—recognized her own voice in her ears—but could not believe what she was saying. She really was a heretic; had she really called the teachings of Ceiphied garbage? Even as she raged against Lemner, she cringed on the inside. Was she moments away from being stricken dead for her blasphemy? Worse, what would Sis say if she ever found out? The last fraying remnants of her faith screamed at her to stop—she was digging herself in farther and farther—but a flame deep within egged her on. The woman she was looking at epitomized everything she had sworn to fight. Evil was not exclusive to demons or vampires, it seemed. Sometimes it hid in broad daylight, in the faces of base people like Lemner.

A moment or an eternity passed—she knew not which. All she understood was that she was suddenly moving—rushing at Lemner; or was Lemner charging her? It was irrelevant. Either way, the time for talk was over. She reached for her sword—it would be so satisfying to drive the point into the Inquisitor's heart—but her fingers closed on empty air.

"Huh," she muttered to herself. Well _that_ was certainly distressing. She only had an instant to ponder the turn of events before the flash of sun on steel drew her attention back to Lemner.

The Inquisitor's eyes were filled with crazed fury and her lips were pulled back in that awful shark grin. "Heretic!" she triumphantly shrieked before driving her raised dirk down towards Lina's heart.

* * *

Gourry had started forward at the same moment Lina had. More by coincidence than anything, as his attention was fixed squarely upon Gaav. More than any of the others who had closed in around them, his former captain was a threat. Even more so, given the fact that he was all but maimed; his right hand still hung uselessly at his side.

Although incapable of retaining details at times, Gourry was as quick witted as they came. And even though he was unable to use his sword (and was honestly frightened of trying; it seemed to stir . . . unpleasant thoughts) he was far from helpless. In the split second that he drew even with Lina, he reached over and drew her sword. Even though he was using his off hand, his actions were so fluid that even Lina had not noticed her loss.

Now adequately armed, he moved to parry Gaav's initial strike—a vicious overhead blow that would have cloven Lina in two. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Lina's sword swept out to meet Gaav's. Not to block, of course; it was a credit to Gourry's years of training that he understood that even in his anger—when he felt strong enough to take on the world—he could not overpower his opponent. Instead he absorbed the blow, allowing his blade to dance along Gaav's, directing it away from Lina's skull. The swing terminated with a crunch as Gaav's sword lodged in the bridge's handrail.

The exchange had brought both combatants face to face; had they been so inclined they could have kissed. Gaav wore an expression of utter hatred. His lips were pulled back in a vicious snarl. Had Gourry been able to see his own face, he might have been surprised to see he wore the same look.

It lasted but a moment, however. Gourry grinned confidently, relishing the fact that he had won the fight in a single blow. Gaav's weapon was immobilized and it would be a simple thing to finish him off.

Gaav roared in fury and Gourry could smell a hint of smoke and feel the heat of the Dragon's breath. There was power in the aging soldier—more power than Gourry could have possibly anticipated. He saw his former superior's shoulders quiver with exertion, then there was a sound like thunder and his blade flew free of its confinement.

If Gourry had not been concentrating on saving his own life—he desperately flung himself backwards to escape the murderous arc of Gaav's blade—he would have been stricken stupid with awe: Gaav had dislodged his sword, not by pulling it free of the post, but by pushing it _through_ the last few inches of wood. The man was strong, not to mention skilled. This could be bad.

Gourry felt the rough planks of the bridge beneath his back and instinctively rolled backwards. The instant his feet were beneath him again, he sprung forward, launching himself back at Gaav. And then the battle was on in earnest.

* * *

Lina stepped back in the nick of time. Lemner's blade came whistling down and rent the air where she had been standing an instant before. She heard Gaav bellow behind her and instinctively dropped.

Not quickly enough, this time. A sheet of crimson fanned out where Lina had stood a moment before. The breeze caught the color and eagerly swept it downstream.

Despite the fact that she was on hands and knees at the feet of two extremely agitated swordsmen and she had lost sight of Lemner, Lina allowed herself a bit of vanity. She tentatively reached up and rubbed the back of her head, grimacing at what she found there: her hair had been neatly clipped, leaving a scant few inches.

_Oh well_, she thought, _it'll grow back_. He head would have been an entirely different matter. She shot Gaav a venomous glare and lashed out with a kick. There was little power to it—it was sort of hard to get much force when one was prone—but still, it was the principle of the thing. Trying to kill her was one thing; it had become routine as of late. However, almost taking her head off with the follow through on a swing . . . well, that was just insulting.

Her foot made contact with Gaav's leg about mid calf and she grimaced at the sensation of impact. It was like kicking a piece of iron, with the notable exception that iron was incapable of communicating a threat of murder with a single glance. Thankfully, Gourry had most of Gaav's attention at the moment, making him unable to carry out his threat.

"Oookay, Lina," she muttered under her breath, "now would _probably_ be a good time to be somewhere else." Deciding that was the most brilliant idea she had come up with in a long while, Lina scurried along the bridge, trying to avoid being trampled, skewered, or otherwise injured by the melee going on overhead. She shot a glance upward, but averted her gaze after only a second. The flash of silver on steel was dizzying and even if the light had not disoriented her, she suspected that the battle was far too swift for her to follow. And she considered herself a decent swordswoman.

"Well, this is humbling," she muttered to herself. She had faced down things that preyed on humanity like so much cattle. She had done so without batting an eye. However, sometimes, she decided, the human monsters could be worse than the demons. She was startled out of her musing a moment later, as she yelped and rolled to the side to avoid being trampled by Gaav when he surged forward against Gourry. "Hey, watch it, you overgrown—"

Impact.

Lina grunted as she was driven down and tasted copper when her chin hit the boards. Fingers snaked through her hair (well, what was left of it) and tugged her head back at an agonizing angle. Apparently, Lemner had survived Gourry and Gaav's clash as well. Just her luck.

She threw her arm up, blunting the impact of Lemner's knife. Instead of lodging in Lina's throat, she felt it lightly kiss her cheek and—in one unique instant of utter lucidity amidst the chaos—saw her eyes reflected in the blade as it glided by. Her face felt hot and crimson spots appeared on the splintered wood. And even as she moved to block the dagger's return, she thought—with an eerie calm born of disbelief—she had almost lost her _eyes_.

Scars were one thing; scars healed and, thanks to Gourry, she understood that they were meaningless—stories of battles forever immortalized in her skin. To lose something as vital as her vision though . . . to be trapped in the dark forever and unable to protect herself . . . to be utterly _helpless_ . . .

Terror and outrage vied for control within as Lina turned and sank her teeth into Lemner's forearm. She snarled and tugged, clamping down even tighter; if taking a chunk out of the evil woman convinced her to get off, so be it. Her efforts were rewarded with a cry of mingled pain and outrage. The weight on her back shifted and she sensed Lemner trying to pull away.

Bucking her hips forward, she felt a wonderful sense of freedom as Lemner's body tumbled free of her back. She hustled forward and was on top of the Inquisitor almost as soon as she had hit the ground. The knife; she had to get the knife away from her.

Lemner shrieked incomprehensible fury and thrashed about beneath Lina like a landed fish. Amidst the thrashing purple and gold, deadly steel glinted. Disappeared. Reappeared. Caught.

"Drop it!" she snarled as she bent Lemner's wrist at what she knew had to be an extremely painful angle. "Drop the knife!" She added a bit more torque to the Inquisitor's arm, which served only to intensify her screaming. "Shut up!" Lina snapped. Before she realized what she was doing, her free arm was drawn back, fingers curling into a tight fist. She felt something give with the first blow. Lemner's nose, most likely. Still, she shrieked on.

Desperately, Lina slammed her fist into Lemner's face again. Hearing her yell, feeling her squirm sickeningly beneath her, it was too much. She would go mad if Lemner kept screaming. And so, her fist rose and fell with a disturbing rhythm. Draw back, strike, feel the ever-increasing degree of wetness beneath her knuckles, repeat.

The Inquisitor was an _abomination_—getting under Lina's skin in a way she had previously been unaware was possible. She had threatened and killed innocent people—Amelia's people. She wore robes symbolizing an ideal that Luna had pursued her entire life. And by single-mindedly clinging to that ideal, she had made a mockery of it. All while wearing that awful shark-like grin.

Lina would show her there was nothing to grin about.

"Drop the knife!" Lina repeated with every blow. It had become a test of wills. She said, "Drop the knife," but she meant something else entirely. She wanted an apology—an admission from Lemner that she was in the wrong. She may as well have been talking to a wall.

"Heretith!" Lina's blows must have driven some sort of sense back into Lemner. Insofar, at least, she was screaming words instead of gibberish. All in all, it was little improvement. "A'll kill you! A'll kill—"

Suddenly, Lina felt tired. Not just tired, but utter exhaustion. She could have laid down and slept for a week. Dealing with this woman just drained her, like working in the sun on a hot summer day. But, Shabranigdo take her if she would let Lemner win. Exhaustion be damned; she had a job to finish. So, she gritted her teeth and finished it.

Joint locks were Lina's forte—immobilization techniques to buy time to administer a coup de grace to a supernatural foe. There were more extreme techniques, however. And she had lost all patience with her enemy.

A twist and a grunt of exertion were followed by a snap and then, as if by magic, Lemner's right arm grew another joint between her elbow and wrist. It folded up beneath Lina's weight. Had she been so inclined she could have touched the inside of her elbow with her fingertips.

Only then did the knife clatter to the boards. It lay there for only an instant before Lina scooped it up and rolled away from Lemner. She knew it was stupid of her. Instincts berated her for surrendering a superior position, but the simple fact of the matter was, she could not endure another moment of contact with the Inquisitor. She scrambled to her feet, dagger held before her. She had entirely forgotten the battle that raged so dangerously close to her position.

Luckily, Gourry and Gaav seemed to have forgotten as well. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed that they stood still as statues, their swords locked. They stared past her, seemingly mesmerized by the woman shambling to her feet.

Turning her attention back to Lemner, Lina was suddenly struck by one of Luna's lessons from so long ago. She had told a wide-eyed Lina that evil wore many masks, but in the end, it always found its true form.

She had seen Luna's lesson prove itself many times over, but never so clearly as it was now. Inquisitor Lemner, who had possibly been a beauty before today, resplendent in her robes of office had become something else entirely. She resembled nothing so much as a much-abused marionette: a frail frame clad in tattered, dirty rags, which might have once been a bright costume. She cradled a ruined arm that would never heal properly, and swayed back and forth, kept on her feet by fierce will and a stubborn refusal to lie down and die. In that trait, at least, she and Lina shared something in common. Her face was, for lack of a better word, a disaster. Her nose jutted at an unnatural angle and her face was smeared with crimson. The left side of her face was puffy, but looked positively normal compared to the opposite side; an ugly bruise marred her right cheek and her eye was swollen shut. In spite of all this, she was still grinning.

Her command almost went unheard over the background of her breathing; she whistled loudly with each exhalation. "Kill theb," she triumphantly wheezed.

Lina heard Gaav mutter, "What . . .?" from somewhere over her shoulder. Apparently, he had expected some sort of qualifier on Lemner's command. "Kill them all, except for the captain," perhaps.

Lemner made a wet gurgling noise and spat red. She turned to the soldiers standing behind her and shrieked, "Kill theb all!"

A half dozen crossbows were raised and Lina found herself staring at deadly steel. Skilled or not, there was no way they could miss at this range. She and Gourry were a heartbeat away from death.

* * *

Next Chapter: Violence, swordplay, and death as Lina and Gourry continue their struggles against Gaav and their enigmatic pursuer.

Notes: Eight months since I updated . . . I'm sure many of you thought I had given up. To be honest, I had, but recent events have opened up writing time, and more importantly, ambition, so we're rolling along again.

Revisions for this chapter were small, but huge at the same time. I had meant to post this two months ago when I first finished writing. Unfortunately, minor quibbles got in the way of continuity, so I had to scrap a big portion of the plot and rework. Lemner received more page time and even got a few POV sections, which I enjoyed writing. I don't believe I've written an original character's POV before, so it was an interesting experience, as I usually have tapes/manga/novels to help me along.

Reviewer Response:

Thank you for all your help, Kaitrin. You've stuck with me on this story for . . . what? Two years now? I really appreciate it. As for fleshing out Gaav, he took a bit of a backseat in this chapter, but I hope to give him more page time in the very near future.

Hi, Aniiksa! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story! Just wanted to say, you're an amazing artist and I love your work on FG.

Ame and Jillas didn't make it into this chapter, although they tried their hardest, Ichiban. In the end, I had to tell them to hush and let me work, but they'll be getting more page time very soon. Possibly their own chapter.

Wow, Iniko, high praise indeed! Thank you muchly, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update.

Hello, Rinchan! The Sarah/Marco scene at the end of the village arc is actually one of my favorite passages in the story. I'm glad to hear someone else thoroughly enjoyed it as well. As for taking in long volumes of fiction in a short period of time, I think I have you beaten: I read the entirety of IT in 36 hours. Go me!

Otaku girl! Thank you for the kind words! Like you said, better late than never, and I hope to be updating more regularly.

Miss Gabriev, I just want to tell you that you are never a bother and I always enjoy hearing from you. As for your comments on the chapter, things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. To be honest, Lina and Co. are on easy street compared to what they're going to experience before the end. As for Gourry's hand, it was burned when he used the SoL on the farmer. Gaav is not a servant of Shabby in this story, just as he is not in canon. He's just a guy trying to do his job with a minimum of headaches (unsuccessfully so for the most part).

Seeker, one thing I've wanted to do for a good while is knock Gaav off his high horse. He's never really been challenged as far as ET goes, but he will be in the very near future. He's not so much the pursued as he is an obstacle.

Razia, you're stalking . . . me? Or Gourry?

I'm glad to hear I scared you, Montrith. I try to make the horror scenes genuinely frightening and it's great to know that I achieve that now and again.

See you next time, readers! Sooner than later, I hope!


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